Wilmington Beach NC Criminal Defense Attorney David Collins

Anyone can be charged with a crime. Just because you are charged does not mean you are guilty. In fact, it is a fundamental principle in the United States, that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  If you are charged with a crime, you should exercise your right to remain silent (which you always have—even before you are read your Miranda rights) and immediately obtain counsel.

Criminal charges, in addition to a sentence imposed by the court, can result in criminal records which can affect a person for their entire life. Therefore, it is very important that people who are charged take the matter seriously and take appropriate steps to avoid or mitigate the negative consequences of criminal charges. In some cases, it is possible to have criminal records expunged, which means the records are removed from the public records and destroyed by a process called expungement.

Even relatively minor charges like traffic tickets can affect one’s driving privileges, employment, and can cause expensive insurance premium increases. Many times these consequences can be avoided, and sometimes without the necessity of our clients appearing in court. North Carolina is one of the few states that has a disposition known as a Prayer for Judgment Continued or PJC. However, a PJC is not always the best result for all traffic matters. One should always consult an attorney experienced in traffic law if they received a traffic citation.

Wilmington Beach, North Carolina is not a municipality but was a coastal unincorporated community on Pleasure Island, North Carolina.  Pleasure Island is the southernmost tip of New Hanover County.  The island was created when Snows Cut Canal was completed in 1931 as part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway System.  Wilmington Beach was annexed by the town of Carolina Beach in 2000.  Before it was annexed, Wilmington Beach was a buffer between Carolina Beach and the most southern beach in New Hanover County which is Kure Beach, NC.

If you are charged with a crime or receive a speeding ticket or other traffic citation in the area formerly known as Wilmington Beach (now incorporated by the town of Carolina Beach, NC), your court date will be in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Collins Law Firm is located in Wilmington, North Carolina and we are in the courts in Wilmington, NC on almost a daily basis.