Attorney: Tyler Chriscoe
Type of Case: Misdemeanor Larceny
Case Result: Voluntary Dismissal with Court-Ordered Expungement
County: Forsyth County
A Promotion Denied
Our soon-to-be client, a normally hardworking guy, was ecstatic when his name came up for a significant promotion at work. Not only would he receive more money but more responsibility and faster advancement. There was only one hurdle left, a review with his bosses that included a background check. He was not concerned, he had a troubled past, but nothing new. He had been through these reviews before, his bosses knew about his history and more importantly, how he had cleaned his life up. This should have been a formality. However, when they showed him the background check, he was dumbfounded. It showed he had a pending larceny charge. Stuck in a state of utter confusion, he simply couldn’t understand what had happened. No one has pending charges without knowing about them, and yet, he did.
After thinking, struggling, and racking his brain for what could possibly have happened, our soon-to-be client became convinced someone was using his identity. A few years prior, he misplaced his wallet, which contained his ID and his social security card. He never found that wallet. He went and replaced the missing items instead. Throughout the years, he had also received several suspicious calls saying he was trying to open accounts that he had not tried to open. Until this point, he assumed they were spam, but perhaps they were not. It was time to seek help. He called Tyler Chriscoe with Dummit Fradin.
Attorney Chriscoe Takes the Case
When the client called and explained his story, Attorney Chriscoe was understandably skeptical, but there was something so earnest about the client, he decided to take the story seriously. The client steadfastly maintained the name, date of birth, and license number were his, but that he had not stolen anything. At the first court date, Attorney Chriscoe obtained the officer’s police report and requested the video footage of the incident. As he poured over the video, Chriscoe’s sharp eyes noticed something unusual which might explain the whole debacle. The officer never asked the male suspect to produce his ID; rather, the officer simply asked the man for his name, date of birth, and street address. The suspect did not even give the officer our client’s correct birth date, but instead, one that was 1 day off. Attorney Chriscoe thought this was likely indicative of someone who had tried to memorize the information on a fake ID. But likely was not proof. He needed more to win the case.
Attorney Chriscoe Discovers Key Evidence
Attorney Chriscoe decided to go back and watch the video one more time. Even though he had seen what happened with the officer, he still had the nagging feeling he missed something the first time through. Then, just when hope was beginning to fade, Attorney Chriscoe discovered the one thing that could clear our client’s name. The male suspect wore a hat pulled low to shield himself as much as possible and was adamant about keeping his face mask up during the entire incident. Except for one moment. The box store the man was allegedly stealing from asked the suspect to remove his mask and hat so they could obtain a picture since he was banned from the premises. That picture would determine once and for all if our client was an innocent man standing accused or a guilty one with a crazy story. Attorney Chriscoe issued a subpoena to the store to produce a copy of the photo they took of the suspect’s face.
Vindication
In court, Attorney Tyler Chriscoe introduced our client to the assistant district attorney and the Loss Prevention Staff who were there to testify about the incident. When the photo was brought forward, it was very clear to everyone involved the men were not the same. The State quickly took a voluntary dismissal. Attorney Chriscoe asked for and got a judge to sign an order of immediate expungement based on mistaken identity. Our client was completely exonerated and eligible for his promotion. But Attorney Chriscoe wasn’t finished yet. He followed up with a representative of the store. A few weeks later, he was able to obtain the actual identity of the man trying to pass himself off as our client. The matter was then turned over to the police and a report was filed for identity theft against the suspect.
Attorney Tyler Chriscoe helped this client save his job and his reputation. He can help you too. If you’re facing tough charges, give the Defense Attorneys at Dummit Fradin a call today!