College Student Avoids Resisting Arrest and Marijuana Possession Convictions

A young student was very intoxicated and made a series of very poor choices. While standing in the roadway, he initiated a conversation with campus police and ended up yelling at them. He was then told he was under arrest and he tensed up and pulled away from the officer. The officer attempted to put the young man on the ground and the young man stood back up. The officer then yelled at the student to stop resisting and the young man finally placed his arms behind his back. After searching his pants, the office found a container with marijuana in his front pocket.

He was taken to Franklin County jail, processed and charged with resisting arrest and marijuana possession. He wisely called a friend to come and post bail on his behalf. His cases were then scheduled in Franklin County Municipal Court.

Once he sobered up, the young student was clearly beside himself. When thinking about the consequences of his actions, he was understandably freaked out. Explaining away a resisting arrest or marijuana possession charge while applying for graduate school or a job would likely be impossible. He then began furiously researching attorneys to try and make the best of a very bad situation. After speaking with attorney Ben Luftman, the Columbus Criminal Defense team was hired to do just that.

Attorneys with LHA represented the young man. Fortunately, the young man did have some positive things going for him. We were able to present these positive traits and after seven court dates, the prosecutor agreed to dismiss the resisting arrest charge and reduce the marijuana possession charge to a disorderly conduct. This reduction allowed the student to keep his federal financial aid.  Ultimately, we will come back and file a motion to seal or expunge the record of the young man’s case and this entire very unfortunate incident will be removed from his criminal background.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case. Individual results may vary based on the facts, injuries, jurisdiction, venue, witnesses, parties, and other factors. The results and client testimonials provided are not necessarily representative of the results obtained by all clients or their satisfaction with the firm’s services.