Tymesha Pendleton was a hard working college student at the University of Maryland working on her master’s degree and intent on earning a PhD. Those goals could have been lost forever when a pledge to Zeta Phi Beta, a sorority of which Ms. Pendleton is a member, accused her of assault and hazing during initiation activities. The accusation resulted in criminal charges of felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor hazing. If convicted, Tymesha Pendleton could have faced up to 10 years in prison and over $2,000 in fines just on the assault charge alone.
Tymesha Pendleton’s criminal lawyer was able to show prosecutors that not only was there a lack of evidence regarding any of the injuries which the pledge was alleged to have sustained, but that Ms. Pendleton was not even in attendance at any of the initiation sessions. Instead of a battle between two young sorority coeds as to who was where and when, this criminal lawyer was able to cut to the heart of the matter to ascertain the truth and, as a result, all charges against Tymesha Pendleton and six other defendants were dropped.
Ms. Pendleton’s story has a happy ending, and she was able to return to her studies with no criminal record. Had it not been for her criminal lawyer, however, the story could have taken a much more tragic turn. Ms. Pendleton had no idea how to counter the claims made against her other than to continue to maintain her innocence. She did not have the legal background or experience to know how to mount a defense or how to call into question the alleged claims of her accuser. She only knew that she was not at any of the initiation events where the hazing supposedly happen. If Ms. Pendleton had not secured the aid of a criminal lawyer, it is possible that her case could have gone to trial where she would have been at the mercy of a judge and/or a jury to decide whether or not she spent the next 10 years of her life in prison.
Luckily, it is the case in Salisbury, Maryland, as well as throughout the entire state, that those accused of a criminal offense always have access to a criminal lawyer who understands the legal system. The presumption in this country is that someone charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. The court system, however, often seems to operate from the opposite perspective. A good criminal lawyer will work diligently to make sure that the rights of the one charged are protected throughout all proceedings. In many cases, as with Tymesha Pendleton, charges will be dropped altogether. In other cases where innocence may not be so clear, a seasoned Salisbury, Maryland criminal lawyer can often get charges reduced or help the client avoid jail time.
