I have court tomorrow, can anyone answer my law question?

i am a 16 year old juvenile, and last week i was in a car with 3 other guys and we were pulled over for a traffic stop. our car was searched, and 2 loaded firearms were found in the front of the car. we were all arrested, and charged with possession of 2 ready firearms. i was held in juvenile until monday with the option of being released on a signature bond, and our court date is tomorrow. its my first time ever being charged with a crime, what can i suspect will happen to me? what kind of crime is the one that i committed? my lawyer has told me to plead guilty because i was riding in the car, can anyone help me?

they werent mine i was just in the car, and the guy admitted that they were his. we were taking them camping. i was a passenger

Do you have a real lawyer, or a public defender?
You are going to have to make your lawyer do better than just to tell you to plead guilty. That's not acceptable. But you (and your parents) are going to have to demand it from the lawyer. You are your own best advocate at this point.

Why was the car searched? Did the driver consent to it? This seems likely, given your age. But what was the reason the officer gave to search the car?(They will always give some b.s. reason in the report, like that they smelled alcohol or pot or something.)

If your position is that you knew not that the firearms were in the car and someone else will corroborate that (this would be available to your lawyer from the deposition) then you should be able to make the case that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you knew they were there, however, and someone else is likely to say that you also knew, you might be in some hot water. You don't have the right to carry a concealed weapon as a minor (if you even have that right in your state.) So what if you were only going camping?

My sense is though, even if you plead guilty, that you will not receive a serious sentence if this is your first time offense. Probably no time behind bars. The court wants to send a message to you to stay out of trouble and choose your companions a little more wisely.

Stay out of trouble and use this opportunity to realize that you never, ever want to be on this side of the criminal justice system again. Especially as an adult. You have much more to lose at that point in your life. Live gratefully from this day forth, seize every opportunity that you are given as a young person, and pursue excellence in everything you do.

Best of luck to you, be strong.

Plea not guilty. What proof do they have that the fire arms were yours?

Not a whole lot of bad is going to happen to you as a minor if you plead guilty. Since there were two guns and three people there is a question of who owns the firearms. The DA has to prove one of them was yours. Plead not guilty!!! Stall as long as possible while watching the other cases. As soon as you know that two of them have plead out to posessing a ready firearm, use that evidence to have the case dismissed.
Easy pleasy!
By the way, your lawyer should already know this. Fire him.

The only advice I have for you is to get new friends.

You have rights, and unless there was probable cause the cops can't just search your car for the fun of it. Any evidence obtained during an unlawful search cannot be used in court.

Did your court-appointed lawyer tell you this?

Juvenile records are usually sealed. But you better first CONFIRM with your lawyer that you are being tried as a juvenile. 16-year old can (and have been) be tried as adults, in which case pleading guilty will be on your records for life and adversely affect your ability to get a job, loans, etc...

You CANNOT use the excuse that you didn't know 2 loaded firearms were in the car. You were in the car -- so according to the law you KNEW. It's irrelevant if you were the passenger or driver. And no one with any brains takes LOADED guns anywhere. Don't tell the judge the loaded guns were there for camping. The judge might add "stupidity" charges to those you are already facing! *sigh*

Since you've never been in trouble with the law, you can expect some lenience from the courts unless you get a "hanging judge" and then you may find yourself in a lot of trouble. If you have a court appointed attorney, you're in trouble. I hope your parents spent the money for a seasoned criminal lawyer!

got your lawyer... knw better!

good luck thou.

Your pretty much screwed.

Your 16 and you have guns in the car because..........?

Hopefully the court system will get you off the street before you actually use that gun and hurt someone.

the best thing is ask for your attorney to bargain with da for less charges and plea no contest then you can still present that you were just in the car and get less then the others who own the guns and the car then move on with your life.no contest and taking deals is always best

You won't get officially charged tomorrow. You will need a lawyer. The judge will tell you your lawyer options and you will get a new court date. The lawyer over your case will probably have the best knowledge of what you want to know because each person/case is different.

you need a new lawyer...do not plead guilty and say that you had no idea there were firearms in the car and the driver of the car never told you there was.

save your own skin...dont go down because of your friend, this will stay on your record for a long time.

plead the 5th

Plead not guilty & try to get a reduced charge.

I've got a feeling your not quite as innocennt as you make yourself appear in your question. You obviously knew there were loaded firearms in the car. For what purpose?? It was a good thing you guys got pulled over before the weapons were used. My advice to you is go to court tomorrow, take your lumps, and stay out of trouble or else someday the charges will be much, much worse!

Plead Guilty say sorry look worried, well you are anyway, its a fact your looked upon as good as the company you keep.
Make new friends, and good luck

why was u riding with the other 3 guys? if u wasnt ridng with them u wouldnt be charged why dont u plead guilty as u say or ur lawyer says good things might happen, i hope good luck

You need to plead not guilty unless the other 2 put it on you. Were you the driver? No, okay then plead not guilty. Your lawyer sucks. You will go tomorrow and they will tell you to return in about a month or 2. Then you will have arraignment. But most important you are a first timer. Your friends are going to put you in prison if you keep hanging with them. I use to bang, its not worth it.Freedom is not free.Dont take it for granted doing stupid stuff.

If you are not guilty then plead that way.Were the firearms yours?Were you going to use them?

you can not carry a loaded firearm, so you were in possession of a loaded firearm. Was it you gun? Where you driving? If not you can say you did not know they were in there.

Follow what your lawyer advises. He has probably already arranged a plea bargain, that is why he telling you to plead guilty. I would think, community service and probation plus court and fines.

There's no way out of this one. You can try to lay blame on the others, but they would just point their finger towards you. Depending on where you're from you could get anywhere from 6 months to a year in juvie....every state is different. Just hope that the gun isn't connected to any violent crimes. You would be stuck with a record for a while. Follow your lawyers advice, you could get lesser time. Good luck!

My first question is what were you doing in a car where their were guns in the firstplace? Loaded guns mean that they wer planning too shoot someone if they had a confrontation. Were the other guys gang members or what? I suggest that you choose your friends more carefully because if they did shoot someone you would be in jail for attempted murder or murder and wouldn't be getting out until you were 25. Your friends sound like real aholes if they didnt tell you that they had loaded guns in the car. More likely than not you will just get put on probation since this is your first arrest. However if you live in California there is a law that says use a gun go to prison. You better hope that you have a judge that believes that you didn't know about the loaded guns. or you could be sentenced to the California Youth Authority until you turn 25.

Get a new lawyer! Many times the lawyer is a friend of the judge who may be taking care of the "other party".
Here's how it works...The guy who owns the car will have to pay his lawyer a HUUUUUGE fee to get himself out of this fix. The lawyer will pay the judge. So everyone comes out ahead.
The car owner, the guys lawyer, the judge, and even your lawyer because you pleaded guilty. Unless you've got a prior (or you actually owned the gun) history you'll get off too but you too will have to pay.
But YOU are paying for something you aren't guilty of.
1. Not your gun.
2. How could you know it was in the car. You're not complicit
just because the gun was in the car.
3. You never touched the gun nor had any prior knowledge of its existence UNTIL....until they found it. Unless they can prove ownership you are not guilty.
4. Not your car.

swells777@verizon.net

Im Not An Expert On Law But By The Sound Of iT Yhuu Shud Do What Yhuur Lawyer Says.. They Are The Professionals Ox

Listen to your lawyer. You were in the car with the firearms, and I'm assuming you knew they were there. That constitutes possession. Of course if you DID'NT know they were there, thats a different type of possession called "mere possession". Besides your a juvenile, depending on what state your in , no matter what the charges are or your convicted of, it will be dropped when you turn 18. Unless, they try and charge you as an adult. You haven't talked with your lawyer before the day your going to court???

You should NOT plead guilty. Tell your lawyer you will ONLY plea bargain. If your lawyer will not let you plea bargain, get a new lawyer. You have the RIGHT to plea bargain. You will appear before a judge tomorrow and the charges against you will be told to you. You will then either be released or put back in juvie. BUT YOU MUST NOT PLEAD GUILTY TO ANYTHING.