What does a criminal defense attorney cost in Salt Lake City?

We will sit down with you to discuss your payment options and look for an arrangement that is manageable for you. When we defend you, part of our role is helping to provide you with support and reduce your anxiety, down to the way we structure payments. Additionally, your initial consultation is cost-free.

When should you hire a criminal defense attorney?

If you were arrested and charged with a crime in Utah, you should contact Overson Law immediately. This is also true if you think that you are under investigation for a crime. The quicker you get in touch with us, the quicker we can begin advocating for your interests and fighting to ensure that the system does not treat you unfairly.

How can our Salt Lake City criminal defense lawyer help you?

Darwin will guide you, advise you, listen to you, and protect your Constitutional rights while working hard to achieve a favorable outcome to your case, such as an acquittal (“not guilty” verdict), a reduction in the penalties you are facing, your charges being dropped, or a dismissal of your case.

Heber City, UT Criminal Defense Lawyer

Home / Heber City, UT Criminal Defense Lawyer

There are many crimes that you could be charged with that could lead to jail time and potentially ruin your reputation and your ability to find work for years to come. Our lawyers help defendants face the criminal justice system, giving them a strong opportunity to challenge the case against them, present evidence in their defense, negotiate potential plea bargains, and ultimately avoid jail time, if possible.

Working with a lawyer can help defend your rights, protect you from police and prosecutorial pressure, and help you simply navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system. With our help, you might be able to have your charges reduced or even dismissed entirely.

For a free case evaluation, call our criminal defense lawyers today at Overson Law by dialing (801) 758-2287.

Common Criminal Charges in Heber City, UT

There are many different categories of criminal charges you could face, all of which have nuances based on the specific charges. Even so, we can group a lot of these charges into different categories and discuss some of the possible defenses and important issues to think about when defending against these charges:

Drug Charges

Drug crimes, from manufacturing to possession with the intent to distribute to simple possession for personal use, all depend on the government proving that you knowingly had or interacted with drugs. If they cannot connect the drugs to you, it will be harder for them to convict you.

Drug charges tend to be more serious when you are higher up in the chain of dealing or spreading drugs, making manufacturing and distribution charges more serious than possession for personal use. Additionally, the more dangerous the drug is, the more serious the charges are, making crimes involving fentanyl, cocaine, or heroin more serious than, for example, charges involving marijuana or MDMA.

Drunk and Drugged Driving

Utah has some of the strictest drunk driving laws in the country, with a BAC limit of only .05% compared to the .08% limit used in other states. Drunk and drugged driving can leave you with a suspended license, potential jail time, a harder time seeking work as a driver, and more expensive insurance. However, our criminal defense lawyers can help fight these charges by challenging the prosecution’s evidence, blood draw techniques, execution of proper field sobriety testing techniques, and overall legality of the initial traffic stop.

Property Crimes

Theft, destruction of property, vandalism, and other crimes involving only property are often considered less serious than violent crimes because the only harm that occurred was to inanimate objects or money. In fact, many of these crimes involve property that is insured, leaving the owners without any real damage at the end of the day.

Even so, these crimes can still lead to high fines and jail time, usually scaling up depending on the amount of monetary harm done or the value of the stolen property. Some property destruction crimes become violent crimes if they involve hurting a person or destroying a home where people might be. This is especially true of robbery and burglary of a home, where the encounter with other people makes the crime more serious. In cases of arson, it is more serious because the destruction of a home could make the crime more dangerous than the destruction of an object or an unoccupied building.

Theft Crimes

It is worth discussing theft crimes separately from property crimes in general because there are so many theft offenses. These offenses all require showings that you knew the property did not belong to you and that you intended to keep it; borrowing something without asking truly is not theft in many cases.

Simply taking something that does not belong to you is considered “theft,” while breaking into a building to steal something is “burglary.” In fact, burglary can involve breaking into a building to commit other crimes aside from theft, too. “Robbery” is technically a violent crime because it involves theft directly from a person.

You can also be charged with crimes like “receiving stolen property” for knowingly having property that was stolen – something the police can charge you with even if they cannot actually pin the original theft on you.

Violent Crimes

Crimes involving assault, robbery, domestic violence, threats of violence, and other similar crimes are incredibly serious. Unlike property crimes, these crimes require actual harm or threat of harm to a person, which instantly makes them more serious offenses than those involving harm to property only.

The evidence in these cases often comes down to testimony and proof of the injuries involved, which are tough to overcome. Instead, the best defense in these cases is often a claim of self-defense or any evidence that can show you were not the aggressor. This could potentially get charges reduced if you can show the court you had a real but unreasonable belief you were in danger. It can even get charges dropped or dismissed altogether if your self-defense claim is accepted.

Sex Crimes

Rape, sexual assault, child pornography crimes, and other such crimes carry incredibly high penalties and can leave you with a reputation that might make it hard to move forward with your life. Getting these charges dismissed on grounds of insufficient evidence, shaky witness testimony, and other grounds is often your best hope. However, some prosecutors might be willing to negotiate for reduced charges if you are willing to plead guilty and cooperate with the investigation, potentially avoiding the worst of the reputational and punitive effects of such serious charges.

Murder and Other Killings

Murder, manslaughter, and other crimes of killing someone else are the most serious crimes on the books. You should never discuss these cases with the police; always ask for a lawyer and invoke your right to remain silent. Every second counts, and you should begin working with a lawyer on your defense immediately.

In many cases, murder charges can be reduced to lesser offenses and potentially become part of a plea deal that could help you avoid life in prison or the death penalty.

Call Our Criminal Defense Attorneys in Heber City, UT Today

Contact the criminal defense lawyers at Overson Law today at (801) 758-2287 for help with your criminal case.

“If someone is making allegations against you, you really should talk to Darwin.”

I was charged with domestic violence and the allegations were that I abused my husband. Truth is, my husband was abusive to me. I hired Darwin and we had a trial. During the trial, Darwin was able to show the jury that it was my husband that was abusive and was trying to manipulate the process of our divorce. The jury found me not guilty and after the trial one of the jurors approached me and told me how impressed the jury was with the way Darwin presented the defense. Before the trial, my now soon to be ex-husband tried to convince me to plead guilty. So going to trial was really the first time I was able to stand up to him and not let him manipulate my life anymore. Darwin really helped me with that process and I can’t express how empowering it has been. If someone is making allegations against you, you really should talk to Darwin.

T.W.
Google Reviews - September 2022

“If you or a loved one is in trouble, Darwin is your guy.”

“I was arrested for DUI. From the very beginning Darwin was very professional and supportive. Throughout the court process I was scared. I kept telling Darwin that wanted to plead guilty just to end it but Darwin encouraged me to stick with it and take the case to trial. The morning of trial, Darwin was able to cross examine the (arresting) officer in such a way as to show the jury that there was reasonable doubt as to the accuracy of the breathalyzer machine. That was important because they were saying my BAC was .182. Darwin walked me through my testimony so that the jury understood what happened from my point of view. I think if he hadn’t been able to help me through my testimony the way he did that the jury wouldn’t have understood and they would have convicted me. The jury deliberated for two hours and then returned a verdict of not guilty.I am really thankful that Darwin was my attorney and that I took his advice to take my case to a jury. If you or a loved one is in trouble, Darwin is your guy.”

T.C.
Google Reviews - September 2022

“The jury found my husband not guilty and I credit Darwin for making that happen.”

“My husband was charged with a first degree felony sex crime against our granddaughter. Anyone who knew my husband knew he didn’t do it. He was the type to protect children not hurt them. We had been represented by another attorney who just couldn’t get the prosecutor to see that the charges weren’t good. When it came time for trial, that attorney was scared to try the case. We were referred to Darwin and I am so grateful. Trial was a week long and by the end, Darwin had shown the jury how our grandchild had been manipulated by the social workers and her mother to say things that were not true. Darwin was careful and thorough in his investigation and preparation before trial and it really showed in court. The jury found my husband not guilty and I credit Darwin for making that happen.”

S. R.
Google Reviews - September 2022

“I thank Darwin …had it not been for him, things would have turned out very differently for me and not in a good way.”

“Several years ago, I was having troubles in my marriage. There were lots of arguments and it was clear that we were headed for a separation. One night I was woke up by six West Valley Police officers standing around my bed with flashlights shining in my eyes. It was 3:00 in the morning and they drug me to the police station where they informed me that I was being arrested for engaging in sexual relations with my baby girl. I could not believe it. Over the next several days I lost my job because of these allegations and a protective order issued against me preventing me from seeing my wife and child, and even from going to the house to get my things. My world was turned upside down. I hired Darwin to represent me. He helped me get my job back, over turned the protective order and through his own investigation was able to uncover enough about my wife to convince the prosecutor to drop all charges against me. About six months later my wife was arrested for possessing thousands of dollars of fake checks. I have moved on and remarried. I thank Darwin for helping me through an incredibly difficult part of my life and I think had it not been for him, things would have turned out very differently for me and not in a good way.”

B.N.
Google Reviews - September 2022