Avoiding a Felony Possession of a Weapon Conviction

Criminal Defense Attorney Steven R. Hunter has dealt with many cases regarding illegal possession of firearms. The most serious type of firearms violation is a felon in possession of a firearm. If you have been charged with this crime, contact a lawyer who has plentiful experience in firearm cases. In this case, the defendant did just that – and was eventually let off with no conviction.

The defendant was seen sitting in a car and exchanging money with two women. The police, driving past, suspected that a narcotics transaction was in progress and approached the vehicle. Then, the police observed the defendant hastily swallowing an unknown item and washing it down with water. Suspecting that the item that had been swallowed was some form of drugs, the authorities detained all three subjects and searched the vehicle.

The search yielded a semi-automatic handgun, which was seized. The client was taken into custody, where it was discovered that he was a registered felon. The client was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

The law dictates that U.S. citizens should be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. In order to conduct a search, the police must possess probable cause that a crime has been committed.

This client’s lawyer, criminal defense attorney Steven R. Hunter, was able to convince the judge that the police had no probable cause to search the client’s vehicle. He demonstrated that the police never actually observed any narcotics, and furthermore, no narcotics were ever recovered from any of the three subjects.

The judge presiding in this case agreed with Mr. Hunter and agreed to exclude the evidence, letting this client walk free.