Need Legal Help...

[DIPayton 10+ year member]

okay guys, I just got a call from the cops.... and need some advice...

two weeks ago, I picked my friend up at a party. He was drunk so I went into the party to pick him up and stayed about 15 - 20 mins because I knew around 10 of the ppl there. Everything's fine I think, I see the guy who owns the place having the party, and say 'hi' to him and that's it, then I leave with my friend, his buddy and 2 girls they were with...

Next day I get a phone call from the guy havin the party and his cousin gets on the phone saying "give me back my laptop". I don't know what's going on... Long story short, his laptop got stolen and he blames me because I was "in and out quick". He first says he's coming up to my work and breaking my face, killing me.. and more threats.

Now today, 2 weeks later, I get a call from the cops and they're saying they want to know everything I know about it. I tell them the truth and everything was 100% real and they didn't believe me. They want me in to take a lie detector test and I agreed to it. Now my problem is, my friend that I drove home is in the Navy and left yesterday for 1 month. I have no way to get in contact with him and the cops said they need his contact info by next tuesday. I don't know how to get it...

The cops last message on the phone to me was "if I find you had anything to do with the laptop going missing, you lied to me, or you are hiding any information, you will be in serious trouble."

What should I do, I can't come up with any contact info for my friend that I drove home... the party had about 40 ppl there, I only knew 10 of the ppl, so I can't call around and track down who stole it... and now Im now being accused of something I didn't do... after being threatened by the guy and his family... Is there any legal actions I can take on that guy for threatening me, harrassing me (about 6 calls in 1 day from them, while at work)... anyways, anyone got any advice... The cops seem to think Im the one lying...

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[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

okay guys, I just got a call from the cops.... and need some advice...

And you genuinely believe that the best place to hunt for such advice is on a car audio forum? To each their own, I suppose...

two weeks ago, I picked my friend up at a party. He was drinking so I went into the party to pick him up and I stayed about 15 - 20 mins because I knew around 10 of the ppl there. Everything's fine I think, I see the guy who owns the place having the party, and I say hi to him and that's it really, then I leave with my friend, his buddy and 2 girls they were with...
well the next day I get a phone call from the guy who had the party and him and his cousin get on the phone saying "give me back my laptop" and I don't know what's going on... Long story short, his laptop got stolen and I got blamed because I was "in and out quick". He first says he's coming up to my work and breaking my face, killing me.. and all the threats.

That ended, now today, 2 weeks later, I get a call from the cops and they are saying they want to know everything I know about it. I tell them the truth and everything was 100% real and it seemed like they didn't believe me. They want me in to take a lie detector test and I agreed to do it.

Silly you. The results from a lie detector test are inadmissable as evidence in a court proceeding so the results of such a test are more or less worthless outside of peace of mind...

Now my problem is, my friend that I drove home is in the Navy and left yesterday for 1 month. I have no way to get in contact with him and the cops said they need his contact info by next tuesday. I don't know how to get it... I had nothing to do with the laptop going missing.

Tell the cops if they are so freggin' concerned with communicating with your friend then they can use their time and resources to make that happen. It isn't your responsibility to do their job for them.

The cops last message on the phone to me was "if I find you had anything to do with the laptop going missing, you lied to me, or you are hiding any information, you will be in serious trouble."

One of the most common scare tactics in the book (I think all cops learn it in "Interrogation 101" while they are at the academy). You can abide by it or simply ignore it ~ your choice.

What should I do, I honestly can't come up with any contact info for my friend that I drove home... the party had about 40 ppl there, I only knew about 10 of the ppl so I can't call around like crazy and track down who stole it myself... and well, now me and my friend are being accused of something we didn't do... after being threatened by the guy and his family... Is there any legal actions I can take on that guy for threatening me, harrassing me (6 calls in 1 day from them, while at work)... anyways, anyone got any advice... The cops seem to think Im the one lying...

THE worst vice is advice. That being said ~ the best advice I can offer you is to contact some sort of qualified legal counsel and soon. Unless one of our forum members is an attorney and I do not know about it the suggestions you might garner from on here are going to be suggestions from unqualified people at best and simply ludicrous ideas at worst. If you genuinely believe that there is even the most remote possibility that this could get pinned on you (regardless of actual guilt or not ~ welcome to the year 2006, friend) then contacting a lawyer and ASAP would really be in your best interest.

 

[revots 10+ year member]

1. Nobody saw you take it.

2. You denied taking it. Without these two there is no case and the cops can't do ANYTHING.

3. Don't take the polygraph!!!!!!! It tests your heart rate and involuntary body movement and marks a steady pattern until it fluctuates up and down, depending on the control question, too far up or down means your lying. My point is even if your telling the truth, if you are very nervous you will more than likely fail.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wave.gif.002382ce7d7c19757ab945cc69819de1.gif Welcome to the forum, friend. I gotta take issue with your very first posting here, unfortunately...

1. Nobody saw you take it.2. You denied taking it. Without these two there is no case and the cops can't do ANYTHING.

Have you never heard of or seen someone who was truly innocent get pinned with a crime they did not commit? In this day and age that statement is more than a bit ludicrous. He needs to be proactive about this rather than reactive and do something constructive about this as opposed to ignoring it altogether.

3. Don't take the polygraph!!!!!!! It tests your heart rate and involuntary body movement and marks a steady pattern until it fluctuates up and down, depending on the control question, too far up or down means your lying. My point is even if your telling the truth, if you are very nervous you will more than likely fail.

This, however, is right on the money. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif And a huge part of why polygraph results are inadmissable in court. I agree wholeheartedly: Don't take it!

 

[revots 10+ year member]

I by no means am an attorney, but I've been a MP in the army for five years so i know quite a bit about the law.

 

[DIPayton 10+ year member]

And you genuinely believe that the best place to hunt for such advice is on a car audio forum? To each their own, I suppose...

Posted on a basketball forum about advice too lol... but Im about to call up my friend, he just finished law school a few weeks ago. See what he can do for me, I dont want to pay a dime to a lawyer.

Tell the cops if they are so freggin' concerned with communicating with your friend then they can use their time and resources to make that happen. It isn't your responsibility to do their job for them.

I told the cops that. I said it's not my job to be calling long distance, trying to contact someone that they want to talk to.

One of the most common scare tactics in the book (I think all cops learn it in "Interrogation 101 while they are at the academy). You can abide by it or simply ignore it ~ your choice.

Im not too worried about the thread... I even told the guy two weeks ago when he called me to come to my house and search it with the cops because I have nothing to hide... and he's just callin the cops now. Im not worried about the cops either, I just get REALLLY mad when ppl think Im a lier.

 

[revots 10+ year member]

yes there are plenty of people who have been charged with crimes they didn't commit by there were probably extenuating circumstances. I was just looking at this for what it is...scare tactics just like you said.

 

[DIPayton 10+ year member]

1. Nobody saw you take it.

the thing about this is... the next day when I got the phone call the guy said "3 of my friends saw you take it". I then asked who the ppl were and he said he can't tell me. I know he was makign that up to me. I never told the cops about that today when they called...

3. Don't take the polygraph!!!!!!! It tests your heart rate and involuntary body movement and marks a steady pattern until it fluctuates up and down, depending on the control question, too far up or down means your lying. My point is even if your telling the truth, if you are very nervous you will more than likely fail.

since I agreed right away on the phone, am I still allowed to tell them that I don't want to?

 

[DIPayton 10+ year member]

also, would the fact that the guy having the party being an underaged drunk get him in any trouble? He was underaged, drunk, giving out free liquor to other minors... and well, Im just barely over age, and I was sober all night. I don't understand why the cops think Im lying.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

the thing about this is... the next day when I got the phone call the guy said "3 of my friends saw you take it". I then asked who the ppl were and he said he can't tell me. I kind of think he was makign that up to me. I never told the cops about that today when they called...

I chalk that up to nothing more than BS from the accuser. Pfft...

since I agreed right away on the phone, am I still allowed to tell them that I don't want to?

You are bound by nothing at this point to cooperate in any way with the police investigation. If you like you are more than welcome to politely tell them to GET BENT //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif If they show up at your house with a subpoena ordering you to take a polygraph then fine ~ go take it. But! (A) That subpeona will never come for the reasons mentioned above about their inadmissability and (B) They simply cannot make you take it. If they could then they'd not have asked in the first place.

 

[revots 10+ year member]

just tell them you don't want to, it's completely up to you. they will try to scare you into doing it but just say no.. For The "3" people that "saw you", It depends how reliable they are...were they drunk, do they have priors, are they good friends with the victim, if these answer yes then there statements, if written, could be thrown out.

 

[revots 10+ year member]

sorry about that prowler573 i'm a little slow on the keyboard

 

[DIPayton 10+ year member]

You are bound by nothing at this point to cooperate in any way with the police investigation. If you like you are more than welcome to politely tell them to GET BENT //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif If they show up at your house with a subpoena ordering you to take a polygraph then fine ~ go take it. But! (A) That subpeona will never come for the reasons mentioned above about their inadmissability and (B) They simply cannot make you take it. If they could then they'd not have asked in the first place.

It wasn't really asking tho... what he said was something along the lines of "tell us who took the laptop, and what you know about it, or you're going to be coming in here to take a lie detector test, do you understand?"

 

[revots 10+ year member]

scare tactics.............that are obviously working

 

[DIPayton 10+ year member]

scare tactics.............that are obviously working

Im not scared or worried at all... I know I have nothing to hide. My concern is that if in the long run, they find out it was my friend or one of the other ppl I drove home, will I get in trouble? I dont know if they took it or not, but it would look bad if I was the guy driving them out of there with a stolen laptop, and the cops would think I knew, plus I couldnt provide them with any contact info... I mean, most ppl would know if they were traveling with the thieves. And my other concern is with the accuser, can I get him in any trouble?