I made a really bad decision....and now I need help

[icantdothisonmyown]

A few days ago police found a fair amount of stolen goods in the trunk of my car, such as CD players, ATV helmets, DVD players, etc (about 12 items) that were recently stolen from a local storage unit. The items were stolen several nights ago by a friend of mine who used bolt cutters, and he broke padlocks and went in the storage units to take the stolen items. Meanwhile, I waited in the car for him to bring me the goods (I was basically the getaway driver). I know it was wrong and I regret doing it more than any of you would ever know so please don't lecture me about how much of a piece of **** i am.


However when the police stopped me, I was alone and not with my friend. THey confiscated all the goods, (I still havent got any citations or been arrested). THey wrote the items on a piece of paper and gave that to me, and said they would ask owners of the storage units if it was indeed their merchandise.

Now my concern is that I was pulled over, with bolt cutters in the car, alone. My friend will say hes not involved if i were to even mention his name to the police, and it would be hard to prove he was involved whereas I was pulled over with all of the stuff on me so I look like the guilty one.

I never stole anything, I recieved the stolen property, but the way things are looking I may face breaking and entering charges. Is there any possible way to improve my situation?


also i'm wondering, if the police aren't able to find me and give me the court summons for the charges (like, lets say i move out of state for a 7 or 8 months) will they mail them? will i be automatically found guilty if i dont show up?

[olive]

They can issue a warrant at any time and will not expire,

Make sure you get legal counsel if this proceeds...(or at least a good public defender) to try to keep this off your record eventually--jail time is probably avoidable if your record is very clear now. But having any arrest and/or a conviction on your record will make job-hunting etc. more difficult. Often this could be negotiated down to some kind of court supervision etc. If it eventually appears it cannot be negotiated down, or you need to discuss this in more detail with senior counsel to review options etc., please let us know...

You DO need professional assistance--do not try to resolve this alone.