The charge of interfering with an arresting officer, or resisting arrest, is an all too common charge in Utah that is often not justified. While many police officers do a great job of managing their conduct with suspects, some rotten apples are quick to lose their temper and make unwarranted demands on individuals who may not have broken the law or done anything wrong. Many of us have dealt with law enforcement agents who demand information or action from you when they have no legal authority to do so. Sometimes, even just questioning a police officer following a traffic stop about why you were pulled over etc., can result in an unwarranted interference charge or related offense. This is not right and our law firm works hard to defend individuals caught up in charges due only to an overzealous or unprofessional policeman.
The Dos and Don’ts
It may seem obvious but you should never engage a police officer physically. Doing so will surely result in assault charges and more. You should also avoid arguing with a police officer as it will almost never help your case. Even if you are in the right, and you surely might be, if an officer is not listening to your side of the story, do not argue such a way as to further agitate the problem. You will have your day in court so if the police are operating outside of their authority or are engaged in misconduct, you need to trust that such evidence will come to light.
Charged with Resisting Arrest in Utah
In order to be convicted of interfering with an arresting officer, the prosecution must prove you knew or should have known by exercise of reasonable care that a police officer is seeking to effect a lawful arrest or detention of you or another individual, and you interfered by (1) us of force or any weapon; (2) refusal to perform any act required by lawful order necessary to effect the arrest; or (3) you somehow otherwise impeded the arrest. If you are charged with interference or resisting arrest in Utah, call and speak to a St. George Criminal Defense Attorney in our office right away. As you advocate we will obtain all the evidence in your case to help prove your innocence or help to get the best outcome possible. We understand your right to question authority and see many cases where there simply wasn’t conduct sufficient to justify the charge.