I am guilty, but I heard I could also plead no contest, what is the difference, which has less consequences?
203692
NO CONTEST, no contest means ur not pleading anything.  it's kinda like saying nothin in a way, ur not sayin u did do it, ur not sayin u didnt do it.  it's in between, regardless, ull prob still get a fine if they gave u a dui test and u were way over the limit or something.  but if its ur first offense i think u'll be alrite. no matter what ur gonna get in some kinda bs trouble unless u feel like gettin a lawyer and pleadin guilty.  good luck\n\n"If I don't drink and drive, how the f*ck am I gettin home?"
159020
If you don't go to court to deal with your current violation, the court will issue a 'bench warrant'. This means they are actively seeking you and will arrest you if you are caught doing ANYTHING including littering.\n\nIf you really want to avoid maximum jail time, go to the court and plead before a judge. Offer to do community service, acknowledge the offense, and most of the time the judge will be lenient. If you don't, you WILL eventually be caught and you'll get NO mercy from the court.
433700
That's a huge fish story.....true or not. My first question comes from the first arrest as why you didn't go down to the local police station and have your vehicle checked by a drug dog to avoid the second incident. I then wonder why, after the first arrest, you didn't head to your local doctor and get a blood test proving you were not using. This doesn't appear to have been done for the second arrest either. So, what you are left with is a mountain of evidence against you. Considering these are both felonies, any deferment, agreement, plea deal you make will instantly make you a convicted felon, a label that lasts a lifetime. Tread carefully grasshopper, you are in very dangerous waters.
620729
your only real right is to remain silent........\n\n==========================================\n\nThe purpose of the arraignment setting is to determine the defendantís plea to the offense charged. At the arraignment, the defendant may enter a plea of guilty, not guilty or nolo contendere (no contest). If the plea is guilty or nolo contendere, the defendant may give an explanation in mitigation of any fine to be assessed prior to the judge assessing a fine. If a not guilty plea is entered, the case will be set for a trial at a later date. If the defendant wishes to have a trial by jury, a jury request may be made at the arraignment.\n\nPLEAS\n\nUnder our American system of justice, all persons are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. On a plea of not guilty, a formal trial is held. As in all criminal trials, the State is required to prove the guilt of the defendant "beyond a reasonable doubt" of the offense charged in the complaint before a defendant can be found guilty by a judge or jury.\n\nYour decision concerning which plea to enter is very important. If you plead guilty or nolo contendere in open court, you should be prepared to pay the fine and court costs.\n\nPlea of Guilty- By a plea of guilty, you admit that the act is prohibited by law, that you committed the act charged, and that you have no defense or excuse for your act. Before entering your plea of guilty, however, you should understand the following:\n\nThe State has the burden of proving that you violated the law.\n\n \n\nTRIALS\n\nYou have the right to hear the State's evidence and to require the State to prove that you violated the law; and\n\nA plea of guilty may be used against you later in a civil suit if there was a traffic accident.\n\nPlea of Nolo contendere (No Contest)- A plea of nolo contendere means that you do not contest the State's charge against you. You will almost certainly be found guilty, unless you are eligible and successfully complete a driving safety course and/or court ordered probation. Also, a plea of nolo contendere cannot be used against you in a subsequent civil suit for damages.\n\nPlea of Not Guilty - A plea of not guilty means that you are informing the Court that you deny guilt or that you have a defense in your case, and that the State must prove what it has charged against you. If you plead not guilty, you will need to decide whether to hire an attorney to represent you.\n\nA request for a trial may in person at the scheduled arraignment, by written correspondence, or by defendant's attorney. A request for trial shall indicate a plea of "Not Guilty" and specify either a jury or a non-jury (bench) trial.\n\nBench trials (trials before the judge) and jury trials are held on Wednesdays as required. The specific date for a trial will be set at the time a plea of not guilty is entered. On the day of trials, trials will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will continue until the docket is completed.\n\nFailure of the defendant to appear at the time his/her case is called may result in a charge of "Failure to Appear" being filed and warrants being issued for his/her arrest. If the trial is a jury trial, the defendant may also be required to pay the costs of impaneling the jury.
278374
The only way to avoid a trial would be if you were to plead guilty. even when there are so many "witnesses, it is your right to br tried in a court of law to find you guilty or not guilty.
436150
nothing, our system of law says that a person cannot be tried twice for the same case, double jeopardy or autrefois acquit (French for 'previously acquitted'), so even though he confessed he would have to be charged on another offense. He could be jailed for perjury, a serious offense but not on murder charges.
386650
no win no fee is accidents...\n\nyou can get free legal aid... see your solictor that specializes in employement law.. or cab.\n\ndid you sign a contract?
369945
As the defendant is already on bail for another offence of violence, if he intends to plead guilty to that offence, the smart thing to do would be to bring the matter forward so that he can enter his guilty plea and be sentenced for both these offences together. If he is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, there is a good chance of being given concurrent sentences.  \n\nIf he is given a community sentence now and then brought back to court for the assault on the police officer, then in practical terms the court would find itself unable to impose a prison sentence for the assault on a police officer, as it is bad sentencing policy to send someone to prison while he is serving such a sentence unless he has been brought to court for being in breach of the terms of his sentence. Similarly, if he is sentenced to prison now, he would not be available for a community service in relation to the other offence and a term of imprisonment would have to be imposed for that too.\n\nIn view of what the magistrates have indicated, they would have to be persuaded very hard not to impose a prison sentence.  I think it's highly likely.
284138
The answer is yes.  To commit a crime, two separate elements must be met.  First, the actus reus - or act.  You must do something that is prohibited.  Damaging someone's property is illegal (if nothing else it is a trespass).  Second, is the mens rea, or the guilty mind.  Every crime carries with it a different level of intent needed in order to be guilty.  For example for capital murder, the level of intent required is very high.  The murderer must have premeditated the crime and intended to cause the death of his victim.  For damaging someone's property, it is likely enough that you were simply negligent.  Anything more, such as intentionally damaging the property would also suffice.  So from your example, and assuming in the hypothetical that you intended, or at least were negligent in causing the damage then you have committed a crime.  It is absolutely irrevelevant whether anyone saw you do it.  Of course if there is no proof, then it's difficult to convict you - but that's not the question.  Did you commit a crime?  Absolutely.
28393
Maybe it's Innocent.\nOr try these other legal terms to help:\n\nPlea: An accused persons answer to a criminal charge. For example: not guilty; guilty; no contest.\n\nAcquittal: Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.\n\nNolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a\nplea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.\n\nHope it helps!
372783
Say not guilty and explain the situation.  If that does not work, work on a plea deal that will get it expunge after 6 month or a year of not getting into trouble.  Yes get a lawyer
625736
Technically, you can be sued for anything, valid or not.  Legally, I think there's not a jury in the land that would hold you accountable.
456982
Dude, you can SO beat that in court. I hope you plead innocent. Get a lawyer. If you can't afford one, ask for a jury trial. By that time, the prosecutor will get a hold of you and try to get you to take a plea agreement. Try to get them to plead it down to a lesser charge (I dont know what that would be) and to have the record SEALED IMMEDIATELY. That means if a future employer looks at your criminal history, this offense won't show up. IF you can do that, then who cares if you get convicted or not? The fine will be minimal and you won't be serving any jail time. If you can't do that, go to trial. \n\nResearch this online more, but basically, they have no case whatsoever if they CANT proved that you were intoxicated. The burden of proof is on THEM, not you.\n\nNow..They COULD tag you with underage drinking if you are under 21, keep that in mind and plan you strategy accordingly
489424
If this was not his first offense, I would assume he has a probation/parole officer.  If so, have him contact his PO and turn himself in.  If it was a first time offense, call the DA and have him 'turn himself in'--he will probably be arrested on the warrant, but could be out on bail in a few hours.  Taking the first step by voluntarily surrendering will be much better for him in the eyes of a judge than being stopped for a minor traffic violation and arrested on the warrant because he got 'caught'.  Added plus is that if he is guilty--turning himself in may influence the judge's decision at sentencing.
245718
I believe it generally means you`re not contesting the charges and accept the punishment without admitting guilt.
482306
A previous case will only be used as an aggravating circumstance if the present case was proven.  In the case of your friend, he was released without being charged.  Thus, the previous case has no bearing on the present case.  Nevertheless, your friend must be careful in committing another offense to avoid trouble.
360570
no contest means you are not admitting guilt, but will not fight the allegations