Criminal defense may exist for man charged with solicitation
Criminal defense attorneys in Georgia and elsewhere must deal with some bizarre offenses alleged by the police. The criminal defense attorney views these matters clinically and acts in accordance with professional ethics to provide the strongest defense possible no matter what the circumstances. However, it must be remembered that most criminal cases are negotiated with the prosecuting authorities and do not go to trial. The U.S. Supreme Court has noted that the obtaining of a plea agreement through negotiations is a vital process at the heart of the system.
That said, when the client is clearly innocent or when there are faulty police procedures, the criminal defense attorney will support a vigorous fight and a trial by jury to compel the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In one recent arrest involving bizarre facts, criminal defense counsel will have to dig deeply into the facts to determine which direction to recommend to the accused. The police in Marietta recently arrested an Atlanta man for allegedly following a grandmother and her granddaughter into a Kroger store and offering to buy the little girl for $200.
Cobb County police allege that the man followed the woman and child around the store and then approached them. The woman reportedly told police that the man had originally followed them around a Walmart and requested to “have” the child, for which he offered $100. Police say that the grandmother confronted the man aggressively in the Kroger store in front of shoppers. They say that a “large crowd” of shoppers chased the man out of the store and to his car.
The police apprehended him and charged him with enticing a child and criminal solicitation under Georgia law. If the alleged facts are supported by credible evidence, criminal defense counsel must determine whether the man, who appears to be elderly from the arrest photo, is suffering from a brain disease, dementia or some other mental condition. If so, that will be an important factor in mitigation of the sentence that is implemented.
Source: fox5atlanta.com, “Georgia man accused of trying to buy girl for $200 at store“, May 10, 2018