Charged With a Crime in Bangor? Your First Steps

Getting charged with a crime is scary, even if you know you didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe it was an OUI stop on Union Street, a drug charge, or something that grew out of a bad night. Whatever it is, the first few days matter more than most people realize.

Don’t talk about the case

You have the right to stay silent, and you should use it. That goes for the police, but also for friends, coworkers, and social media. Anything you say can come back in court, and people often say things they think help them that end up doing the opposite.

Be polite. Give your name. Then say you’d like to speak with a lawyer before answering questions.

Read your paperwork

If you were given a summons or bail conditions, read them closely. Bail conditions in Maine can include things like no alcohol, no contact with certain people, or staying away from certain places. Breaking a condition is a new crime of its own, even if the original charge is later dropped.

Note your first court date. In Penobscot County, most cases start at the Penobscot Judicial Center on Exchange Street in Bangor.

Understand what you’re facing

Maine sorts crimes into classes. Class D and E crimes are misdemeanors. Class A, B, and C crimes are the serious ones, what most people call felonies. Each class has its own maximum jail time and fine, and the class determines a lot about your case. We break it down in Felony vs. Misdemeanor in Maine.

OUI charges

OUI is one of the most common charges we see. Even a first offense comes with a license suspension, fines, and a required alcohol education program. A second or third offense carries mandatory jail time. But OUI cases also have a lot of moving parts: the reason for the stop, the field tests, the breath or blood test, and how it was all documented. Mistakes in any of those can matter. Our OUI and drug offense page has more.

Why local experience helps

Every courthouse has its own way of doing things. Knowing how cases tend to move in Penobscot County, and what prosecutors there look for in a plea offer, helps us give you realistic advice. Sometimes the best outcome is a dismissal. Sometimes it’s a deferred disposition that keeps a conviction off your record. Sometimes it’s trial.

The consequences go beyond court

A conviction can affect your job, a professional license, your immigration status, and your right to own a firearm. A Class A, B, or C conviction makes it illegal to possess a gun in Maine. That’s why it’s worth having a lawyer look at every option, even on a charge that seems minor.

Call before you decide anything

Gray & Palmer has defended clients in Bangor and across Penobscot County for decades. We’ll explain the charge, the possible outcomes, and what we’d recommend, in plain terms.

Call (207) 945-5502 as soon as you can, and before you talk to anyone else about your case. You can read more about our criminal defense work here.