Best Practices for Police Contact

No-contact orders are issued in Washington State to protect someone who is considered to be the victim of a domestic violence case or is in fear of violence. Courts issue no-contact orders when the defendant is facing abuse charges or has been convicted. These types of orders inhibit the alleged abuser from establishing contact in any way including through social media, a third party, or directly.

Being convicted of a crime can be devastating; it will be taxing on your family, career, and finances. If you are accused of committing a crime in Kitsap County or beyond, it is vital that your first course of action is to secure a criminal defense attorney capable of navigating you through the process. Whether you are guilty or innocent, proper legal representation will provide you with the counsel necessary to understand the justice system.

Criminal convictions often have long-lasting consequences that affect multiple facets of your life. You may find yourself unable to secure a job or housing due to prior convictions that remain on your record. In 2019, a united group of Washington State lawmakers worked to instate the New Hope Act. This legislation was designed to assist people with criminal records as they reintegrate into their communities. The New Hope Act empowers people to rewrite their future.

Criminal convictions often have long-lasting consequences that affect multiple facets of your life. You may find yourself unable to secure a job or housing due to prior convictions that remain on your record. In 2019, a united group of Washington State lawmakers worked to instate the New Hope Act . This legislation was designed to assist people with criminal records as they reintegrate into their communities. The New Hope Act empowers people to rewrite their future. Under this legislation, there is an expanded list of the type of misdemeanor convictions that can be vacated as well as an allowance for multiple misdemeanors to be vacated all at once. Certain felony offenses have been included amongst convictions that can be vacated. The Act eliminates the “once in a lifetime” limitation for vacating misdemeanor crimes. Class C felonies require a waiting period of five years, while Class B require ten. However, under the New Hope Act, applicants are now able to apply for a vacated sentence prior to paying off fees and fines. When a conviction is vacated, it is removed from your criminal history and you are legally allowed to say that you have never been convicted of a crime. Law enforcement will be prohibited from informing others about your conviction. You may be eligible to vacate your conviction if you have not violated a court order in the past five years, have completed your sentence, have not been convicted of a new crime in three years, and do not have any criminal charges pending against you. Petitioning to vacate your convictions is an arduous task. Pimentel & Associates is ready to partner with you as you rewrite your future. For more information, give us a call or fill out a free case evaluation to see if you qualify to have your convictions vacated.

When the Founding Fathers penned the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights, Americans were guaranteed, “The right of the people to bear and keep arms shall not be infringed.” After a criminal conviction, you may find that your right to bear arms has been revoked. Felony convictions, misdemeanor domestic violence convictions, or no-contact orders are the most common reasons that prohibit someone from possessing firearms. It is a violation of the law for you to possess a firearm, ammunition, or incomplete parts of a gun once your gun rights have been revoked. Living in a home with a person who stores a gun or even being in the company of a gun owned by another person places you in peril of an unlawful firearm possession charge. You may be eligible to have your gun rights restored if you are free of any pending criminal charges in all states and any federal court, free of convictions for felony sex offenses, free of any court restraining order for domestic violence, and free of convictions for class A felonies that carried a maximum sentence of twenty years. Class B or C felonies require a waiting period of five or more years without committing a crime. In Washington, the Superior Court is the only court that has jurisdiction to restore gun rights. To restore your firearm rights you are required to file a written motion and notify the prosecuting’s attorney's office. The eligibility requirements are numerous and the process is tedious. Pimentel & Associates specializes in streamlining this process for clients locally in Kitsap County, state-wide in Washington state, and nationally for all 50 states. For more information, give us a call or fill out a free case evaluation to see if you qualify for gun rights restoration.

Want to know what to do after your first DUI offense in Washington? Find out what more about DUI charges, how to seek help, and why Pimentel & Associates is the law firm for you.