Two Maryland women were charged with the alleged possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. The drug charges and arrests came about following the execution of a search warrant. The women were 18 and 19-years of age.
The police reported that they searched the premises in which the women lived at 1:30 in the afternoon. Police claim to have recovered suspected marijuana and associated paraphernalia. Since the two women were at home at the time, both of them were subsequently taken into custody.
There are many reasons why criminal defense attorneys will defend such suspects. For one, such individuals may be innocent of what's been charged. And for two, the penalties for marijuana conviction can be quite severe, and it would be unjust for a court to hand down an unnecessarily harsh sentence for behavior that may present limited or no real danger to the public.
However, what strikes one concerning this story is the young age of the women arrested. Had either been arrested for the same charges two or three years ago, their names would never have appeared in the newspaper. And as juveniles, the record of their arrest would eventually be deleted from their files. Now, as just slightly older adults, the consequences of what occurred could be much more drastic.
All alleged instances of crime needed to be tried on a case-by-case basis. Even if guilty of the charges (and assuming this was their first arrest), it would be wrong to treat such young individuals like repeat offenders.
Source: Delmarva Now, "Salisbury Crime: Two face drug charges after College Avenue Bust," June 14, 2012
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