Criminal Defense

    Drug Offenses

    Have you been arrested or charged with a possession or other drug offense?   All drug offenses can bring serious penalties and stiff sentences, and require immediate attention that a highly-trained Indiana Criminal Defense lawyer can assist you with.   Many of the drug offense we see individuals charged with are found in Indiana Code 35-48-4.  These offenses can include Dealing in Cocaine, Dealing in methamphetamine, Dealing in a schedule I, II, or III controlled substance, Dealing in a schedule IV controlled substance, Dealing in a schedule V controlled substance, Dealing in a substance represented to be a controlled substance, Unlawful manufacture, distribution, or possession of counterfeit substance, dealing in a counterfeit substance, possession of cocaine or narcotic drug, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, obtaining a schedule V controlled substance, manufacture of paraphernalia, dealing in paraphernalia, dealing in marijuana, hash oil, hashish, or salvia, dealing in a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substance, possession of marijuana, hash oil, hashish, or salvia.  At Duepner Law, our attorneys are trained to deal with all of these cases, and would be happy to meet with you regarding your case.

    Out of the above charges, some of the most common offenses include things like Possession of Marijuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Paraphernalia, Dealing Marijuana, Dealing a Controlled Substances.  Regardless these drug charges are offenses that can bring serious penalties and stiff sentences, and will require your immediate attention, as well as the immediate attention of your attorney.  When faced with one of these charges you have every right to be worried about what will happen next.  It is important to know what your rights are, and to have a competent defense attorney represent you along the way.  The attorneys at Duepner Law are trained Indiana Criminal Defense Attorneys with a vast experience with various drug charges, ranging from lower level misdemeanor charges to major felony charges involving dealing of drugs.

    While a large part of the country has seen a movement with the decriminalization of Marijuana charges, Indiana has continued to make even simple possession of marijuana a serious criminal charge.  The laws in Indiana have changed over the last few years regarding marijuana charges, and the penalties may not be what they once were, but they are certainly still a crime.  Possession of Marijuana charges can range from a Class B Misdemeanor to a Class A Misdemeanor to Felony charges.  So as you can see, even a minor charge for possession of marijuana, can affect a person over their lifetime in ways that one might never foresee.  For that reason, it’s important to have a highly trained Indiana criminal defense attorney on your side on these type of Indiana drug criminal defense cases.

    When dealing with drug offenses, it is important to make sure that no constitutional rights were violated, that could result in the dismissal of charges against a defendant.  An individual has constitutional rights both by the United States Constitution, as well as the State of Indiana’s constitution.   For example, a case involving a drug charge, may involve of a citizen’s right against illegal search and seizure.  If a court finds a violation of your constitutional rights, such that a search and seizure was illegal, it could lead the Indiana criminal court to find the need for the exclusion of the evidence that was found.  If the search is found to be illegal, and the evidence excluded, this could lead to the dismissal of charges against you.

    Additionally, some drug charges might be eligible for an Indiana County’s Diversion program.   Diversion is a common program in many Indiana Counties, and one that is often used for offenses such as first time marijuana possession.  Diversion is a program that allows essentially a deferral of prosecution of criminal charges over a period of time (typically 1 year), and at the conclusion of that time, the charges may be dismissed, as long as one is compliant with all of the other parts of the program.  Following the dismissal of the charges, an individual may even be eligible for an expungement of the charge altogether.  Even if not eligible for a Diversion program, one might be eligible for a Conditional Discharge, as outlined by Indiana law, or something similar.   Diversion and Conditional Discharge are important because they allow an individual such as you to move on with life, as if the unfortunate circumstances never occurred. To discuss your drug charge, please call to set up a consultation with one of our Indiana Criminal Defense Lawyers, trained to deal with your case.