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Cobb Hammett Law Firm: Giving Hope to
Criminal Defense Clients in
Cleveland, SC
Getting charged with a crime in Cleveland can be a traumatic experience. Even "petty" crimes can cause an individual's life to fall apart professionally and personally. Spending time in jail is bad enough, but the ramifications of a criminal record run deep, resulting in loss of employment, loss of friends, and even family. For many people, having a zealous criminal defense attorney in Cleveland, SC, to defend their rights is the only shot they have of living a normal life.
That's why, if you have been charged with a crime, you need the help of a veteran criminal defense lawyer early in the legal process. That's where Cobb Hammett Law Firm comes in to give you or your loved one hope when you need it the most.
Our criminal defense law firm was founded to help people just like you - hardworking men and women who are looking at diminished employment opportunities and a possible lifetime of embarrassment. But with our team of experts fighting by your side, you have a much better chance of maintaining your freedom and living a normal, productive life. When it comes to criminal law in Cleveland, we've seen it all. With decades of combined experience, there is no case too complicated or severe for us to handle, from common DUI charges to complicated cases involving juvenile crimes. Unlike some of our competition, we prioritize personalized service and cutting-edge criminal defense strategies to effectively represent our clients.
Clients rank Cobb Hammett, LLC as the top choice for Cleveland criminal defense because we provide:
- One-on-One Counsel
- Education on the Cleveland Legal Process and Its Risks
- Ardent, Effective Representation
- Commitment to Our Clients and Defending Their Rights
- Prompt Inquiry Response
- Robust Experience with Criminal Law Cases in Cleveland
- Innovative Defense Strategies
- Effective, Thorough Research and Investigation
Choosing the right criminal defense lawyer in Cleveland can mean the difference between conviction and acquittal. Our firm has represented thousands of clients in the Lowcountry, and we're ready to defend you too. Some of our specialties include:
DUI Cases
in Cleveland, SC
DUI penalties in Cleveland can be very harsh. Many first-time DUI offenders must endure a lifelong criminal record, license suspension, and the possibility of spending time in jail. Officers and judges take DUI very seriously, with 30% of traffic fatalities in South Carolina involving impaired drivers, according to NHTSA. Criminal convictions can have lasting impacts on your life, which is why Cobb Hammett Law Firm works so hard to get these charges dismissed or negotiated down. In some cases, we help clients avoid jail time altogether.
When you hire our DUI defense firm, our team will always work towards your best interests and will go above and beyond to achieve the best outcome in your case. Depending on the circumstances of your DUI charges, we will investigate whether:
- Your DUI stop was legal
- You were administered a field sobriety test correctly
- The breathalyzer used was calibrated correctly and properly maintained
- Urine and blood tests were administered and collected properly
The bottom line? Our criminal law defense attorneys will do everything possible to keep you out of jail with a clean permanent record. It all starts with a free consultation, where we will take time to explain the DUI process. We'll also discuss your defense options and speak at length about the differences between going to trial and accepting a plea bargain.
DUI Penalties in Cleveland, SC
The consequences of a DUI in Cleveland depend on a number of factors, including your blood alcohol level and how many DUIs you have received in the last 10 years. If you're convicted, the DUI charge will remain on your criminal history and can be seen by anyone who runs a background check on you. Sometimes, a judge will require you to enter alcohol treatment or install an interlock device on your automobile.
If you're on the fence about hiring a criminal defense lawyer in Cleveland, SC, consider the following DUI consequences:
First Offense
48 hours to 90 days
in jail
with fines ranging from
$400 to $1,000
Second Offense
Five days to three years
in jail
with fines ranging from
$2,100 to $6,500
Third Offense
60 days to five years
in jail
with fines ranging from
$3,800 to $10,000
Additional consequences can include:
1
Alcohol or Drug Treatment
When convicted of DUI in South Carolina, most offenders must join the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program. This program mandates that offenders complete a drug and alcohol assessment and follow the recommended treatment options.
2
Community Service
Some first-time DUI offenders in Cleveland may choose to complete community service in lieu of jail time. Community service hours are usually equal to the length of jail time an offender would be required to serve.
Sanctions to Your Driver's License
Typically, when a person is convicted of driving under the influence in Cleveland, their driver's license is restricted or suspended. The length of restriction or suspension depends on how many prior DUI convictions an individual has.
First DUI Offense
First-time DUI offenders must endure a six-month license suspension. Drivers convicted with a blood-alcohol level of .15% or more do not qualify for a provisional license. However, sometimes they may still drive using an ignition interlock device.
Second DUI Offense
Offenders convicted of a second DUI charge must use an ignition interlock device (IID) for two years.
Third DUI Offense
Offenders convicted of a third DUI charge must use an ignition interlock device (IID) for three years. That term increases to four years if the driver is convicted of three DUIs in five years.
Immobilized Vehicle
For offenders with two or more convictions, the judge will immobilize their vehicle if it is not equipped with an IID. When a judge immobilizes a vehicle, the owner must turn over their registration and license plate. Clearly, the consequences of receiving a DUI in Cleveland can be life-changing, and not in a good way. The good news is that with Cobb Hammett Law Firm, you have a real chance at beating your charges and avoiding serious fines and jail time. Every case is different, which is why it's so important that you call our office as soon as possible if you are charged with a DUI.
Traffic Violation Cases
Most drivers brush off traffic law violations as minor offenses, but the fact of the matter is they are criminal matters to be taken seriously. Despite popular opinion, Traffic Violation cases in Cleveland can carry significant consequences like fines and even incarceration. If you or someone you love has been convicted of several traffic offenses, your license could be suspended, restricting your ability to work and feed your family.
Every driver should take Traffic Violations seriously. If you're charged with a traffic crime, it's time to protect yourself and your family with a trusted criminal defense lawyer in Cleveland, SC. Cobb Dill Hammett, LLC is ready to provide the legal guidance and advice you need to beat your traffic charges. We'll research the merits of your case, explain what charges you're facing, discuss your defense options, and strategize an effective defense on your behalf.
Common Cleveland
Traffic Violations That Cobb Hammett Law
Firm Fights
There are dozens and dozens of traffic laws in Cleveland, all of which affect drivers in some way. Our Cleveland defense attorneys fight a full range of violations, including but not limited to the following:
- Driving Under Suspension: If you drive while your license is suspended, revoked, or canceled, you could be looking at 30 days in jail and fines up to $300.
- Driving Under the Influence: Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated on drugs or alcohol is illegal and often results in jail time and fines.
- Reckless Driving: You could be ordered to pay up to $200 in fines or jailed for up to 30 days if you drive with wanton disregard for the safety of other people.
- Racing: You can be cited and fined if you aid or participate in street racing.
- Hit and Run: When you leave the scene of an accident that involved injury to another party, you can be arrested. This serious charge can lead to up to one year in jail and fines of up to $5,000 for first-time offenders.
- Disregard Traffic Signals: Drivers must obey all traffic signals and control devices, less they be ticketed and sometimes fined.
As seasoned traffic violation lawyers, we know how frustrating it can be to get charged with a Traffic Violation. While some traffic charges can be minor, others are severe and can affect your life for years to come. Don't leave your fate up to chance call Cobb Hammett Law Firm today for the highest-quality Traffic Violation representation in Cleveland.
Juvenile Crime Cases in
Cleveland, SC
At Cobb Dill Hammett, LLC, we understand that children are still growing and learning about the world around them. As such, they may make mistakes that get them into trouble with the law. Children and teens who are arrested in Cleveland can face much different futures than other children their age. Some face intensive probation, while others are made to spend time in jail.
This happens most often when a child's parents fail to retain legal counsel for their son or daughter. Cases referred to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice often move quicker than adult cases, so finding a good lawyer is of utmost importance. With that said, a compassionate criminal defense attorney in Cleveland, SC, can educate you and your child about their alleged charges. To help prevent your child from going to a detention center, we will devise a strategy to achieve favorable results in their case.
Juvenile Detention Hearings
Unlike adults, juveniles don't have a constitutional right to a bond hearing. Instead, once your child is taken into custody a Detention Hearing is conducted within 48 hours. This hearing is similar to a combination of a Bond Hearing and a Preliminary Hearing. Unfortunately, there is little time to prepare for these hearings, which is why you must move quickly and call Cobb Hammett law firm as soon as possible.
Our team gathers police reports, petitions, interviews your child at the DJJ, speaks with you about the case and talks to the prosecutor to discover if they have plans for detention. In most cases, we strive to avoid detention and seek alternatives like divisionary programs or treatment facilities. This strategy better addresses your child's issues and keeps them out of the juvenile legal system in Cleveland. If your child is charged with a crime, and South Carolina decides to prosecute, your child will appear before a family court judge, who will find them delinquent or not delinquent. There are no juries in juvenile cases in South Carolina, which is why it's crucial to have a lawyer present to defend your child if they go in front of a judge.
Common penalties for juveniles charged with crimes in Cleveland include:
- Probation: Children charged with probation are released to their parents or guardians. Depending on their charges, they must abide by certain stipulations while at home and may be subject to random drug screenings. Violation of probation often results in jail time.
- 90 Days in Juvenile Detention Center: When probation is not a viable option, prosecutors may push for 90 days of jail time in a juvenile detention facility.
- Juvenile Detention: Children who commit very serious crimes can be sent to a juvenile detention center for a long time. These sentences can last up to the child's 21st birthday.
- School Expulsion: When a child is convicted of a crime, their school is notified of the offense. Sometimes, the administration may decide to expel the child from school for the misdemeanors or felonies they commit.
We Fight to Protect
Your Rights So You Can
Provide for Your Family
Whether you are facing a DUI charge or a serious traffic violation, Cobb Hammett Law Firm is here to fight for your rights so you can continue living life. The future might seem bleak, but our criminal defense lawyers in Cleveland, SC, have the tools, experience, and strategy to win your case, as we have with so many others. Don't lose hope call our office today and maintain your freedom tomorrow.
Ask us anything
Call Now 843-936-6680 PH
Latest News in Cleveland, SC
Cleveland forfeits real estate license after fraud
LANE FILLER Staff Writerhttps://www.goupstate.com/story/news/2006/12/02/cleveland-forfeits-real-estate-license-after-fraud/29384129007/
Local developer Arthur Cleveland, whose ownership of the Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park has been clouded by controversy for several years, has signed a consent order agreeing to forfeit his real estate license for a period of three years.The reason is two separate, but related, cases of fraud.Cleveland has been besieged by foreclosures and losses in the past few years. In addition to the Marriott property, Broadwalk, the Montgomery building, his personal home and many other parcels have been either lost...
Local developer Arthur Cleveland, whose ownership of the Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park has been clouded by controversy for several years, has signed a consent order agreeing to forfeit his real estate license for a period of three years.
The reason is two separate, but related, cases of fraud.
Cleveland has been besieged by foreclosures and losses in the past few years. In addition to the Marriott property, Broadwalk, the Montgomery building, his personal home and many other parcels have been either lost or threatened through court proceedings.
The legal problems relating to his real estate license are tied to a 400-acre parcel of land known as Meadow Farms.
Cleveland and his company, Cleveland-White, had a management agreement with a group that owned Meadow Farms to manage, rent, lease and operate the property, beginning in 1997.
According to court documents, Cleveland withdrew $8,000 from the Meadow Farms account on March 21, 2002, without authorization, for a loan to Renaissance Park Inc.
Two of the Meadow Farms owners (there are 15 to 20 individuals and trusts that own the property jointly), looking into that $8,000 disappearance, discovered a larger fraud.
Eight days after he took the $8,000, Cleveland received a check from the city of Spartanburg for Meadow Farms for just over $118,000 in return for some land sold for utility right-of-ways, but Cleveland never gave the money to the owners.
Instead, Cleveland testified in the Spartanburg County Court of Common Pleas in 2005 that he put the money into a project he owned called Hartsville Crossing.
Cleveland later sold his interest in Hartsville Crossing, but never repaid the $118,000 or, according to court records, $2 million in other debts related to the Hartsville Crossing project.
On March 17, Circuit Judge Doyet Early III ruled Cleveland committed fraud and said he "showed neither remorse nor explanation" for his actions.
Cleveland and Cleveland-White Co. jointly were ordered to pay $148,000 in actual damages, and Cleveland was
ordered to pay an additional $15,000 in punitive damages.
These facts were outlined in the complaint against Cleveland that was to go before the S.C. Real Estate Commission this past month.
According to Real Estate Commission spokesman Jim Knight, the paperwork on Cleveland's agreement to relinquish his license is not complete, but Cleveland and his attorney, Ken Anthony, have signed their part of the deal.
"Once the consent order is in place, it will mean Mr. Cleveland, while he can still own Cleveland-White, cannot be the broker in charge or do any real estate transactions for the company," Knight said.
Cleveland signed the order Nov. 14 to avoid a hearing before the Real Estate Commission.
In late 2005, the owners of Meadow Farms, still unable to collect what they were owed, had Cleveland back in court, grilling him on his assets.
Cleveland, who has estimated his own fortune prior to beginning the Marriott deal at $10 million to $12 million, told the court he had no income except what he derived from refinancing property he owned. He agreed with the suggestion he was living by "robbing Peter to pay Paul" and testified that his wife's family was providing the money to pay the mortgage on his Converse Heights home.
On Friday, one of the Meadow Farms owners said the group has received "only a tiny portion" of the money Cleveland took from them.
Last month, Cleveland put Marriott-owner Renaissance Park Hotel LLC into bankruptcy to forestall a foreclosure by mortgage-holder Bridgeview LLC.
Bridgeview is owed about $23 million on the hotel, while the city of Spartanburg is responsible for about $20 million in payments over the next two decades for debt related to the hotel.
Funds to meet the city's obligations are expected to come from rent loan payments and taxes paid by the Marriott.
One thing not in doubt is the day-to-day operations of the hotel. Atlanta-based Bridgeview, the city and Marriott all share the desire that it should stay open. They agree the hotel is doing good business.
Additionally, a federal bankruptcy judge ordered on Nov. 3 that the hotel will continue to operate under the Marriott flag while the bankruptcy is sorted out.
Lane Filler can be reached at 562-7426 or [email protected].
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