Just a little rant.

[wiseone]

The best I have is to drop the names of some people that have fucked me over one way or another in the past year. Meh, I don't want "snitch" attached to my name either, though. But how can I refuse to answer a Judge's question during sentencing?

Not cool. They may have screwed you at one time or another, but snitching on them whether they are involved or not has a way of biting you in the ass in the long run.
Remember news carries fast on the street and inside prison. And there are plenty who will stick a shiv in you for a carton of cigs.
Once a snitch always a snitch.

Prayers your way bro. Hope you learned that weed and guns are not compatible, at least not in my book.

 

[303hydro]

I've been in a similar situation to yours and here's my suggestion:

Pretend for a second that you were actually cooking meth and dealing that....

(This will get you more in a mind frame similar to judge, just feeling that what you were doing was unethical and wrong... )

Join a club, activity, volunteer, go back to school, apprenticeship, new job, NA /AA anything.....something that will make the impression you are wanting to turn a new leaf.

Make the judge aware that you know what you did was wrong, and that you 100% dedicated to changing your life for the better.

If you independently take steps to " turn over that new leaf " before your in court , that will be huge. If no time tell the judge your intentions to do something of this sort......

Also explain to him how much serving time will negatively impact your chance to start a new life.

Bottom line if you can make him feel that you have a better chance of changing your ways out of jail than in jail, he will let you be.

This is just my opinion, not a lawyer but has worked for me


Good Luck, Lose the Gun.

 

[HempKat]

I guess my biggest fear is that I'm terrified of public speaking. In a packed courtroom. I get cold feet, my mind goes blank, I stutter, etc.

That and I absolutely know that he's going to ask one question - Where did you get the marijuana? Meh, it wasn't home grown, the quality of it wasn't anywhere near that. On one hand I just want to say "I grew it," but on the other hand I don't want to be caught in a lie. The best I have is to drop the names of some people that have fucked me over one way or another in the past year. Meh, I don't want "snitch" attached to my name either, though. But how can I refuse to answer a Judge's question during sentencing?

You got it from some guy you don't know, standing on a street corner. The courts know that in the streets dealers and buyers are seldom close friends on a first name basis.

Also did your lawyer tell you the judge would ask those kind of questions? If not or even if he did, you may be worrying about nothing. I've been thru plea deals and the only questions the judge asked were things like "Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty or did someone promise you something for pleading guilty?"

 

[supermanlives]

i had a friend that was a judge . whatever lies you tell keep eye contact with the judge when speaking. answer questions with short direct answers and avoid saying ummm and ahhh and such. try not to swallow to much. judges look for alot of body actions to judge you

 

[headiez247]

i had a friend that was a judge . whatever lies you tell keep eye contact with the judge when speaking. answer questions with short direct answers and avoid saying ummm and ahhh and such. try not to swallow to much. judges look for alot of body actions to judge you

Very good advice and very true.

 

[SmokinErb]

First of all - even if I wasn't a felon, and the bust happened? I'd still be fucked with the LEGAL gun. It's called possession of a firearm in commission of a felony. Another issue is, I was dealing at the time. Not having a firearm would have been pretty stupid too, IMO. That's just an invitation to get robbed, and an invitation to get your grow room found. I don't act "gangster," I don't threaten people. But I do make sure they know I have it - it serves as a deterrent more than anything. I expect to catch flak on the gun thing, but at the same time, had I gotten robbed or something, everyone would be telling me to buy a gun.

Anyway - I never even got questioned. The whole thing was over with before I knew it was getting started. I even got hooked up. They accepted my plea and maxed me out on 3 years, all suspended to probation. However, they're giving me "jail time credit" for my home detention. What that means is every day on home detention counted as 2 days instead of 1, like it should have. I have less than 2 years left on probation. Also 24 hours of community service.

Even my attorney was shocked. He admitted he was "slightly worried" when we came in, but during the conference between the judge, my attorney, and the prosecutor I guess the Judge already said he planned on accepting the plea, and asked the prosecutor if he had any sentence recommendations - he suggested I just be given probation. Then my sentencing hearing started and he immediately explained what I was facing and if I understood, and then went straight to saying I was being placed on probation, etc, etc. I was preparing for an assault of questions and he was telling me I had to go to the probation office.

Hell fucking yeah.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

i had a friend that was a judge . whatever lies you tell keep eye contact with the judge when speaking. answer questions with short direct answers and avoid saying ummm and ahhh and such. try not to swallow to much. judges look for alot of body actions to judge you

Yep - you have to look and appear to be legitimate. Judges are by nature given the parameters of their jobs are keen observers of the myriad of people who appear in front of them, attorneys, police officers, the accused, the accuser, etc.

Get a shower. Shave. Buy new clothes. Smile. Act lucid.

It helps. Can't hurt.

CC

 

[trichrider]

so probation? sweet, was the gun charge bargained out? glad to hear you're so relieved.
peace

 

[Stoner4Life]

wtg Erb, glad to hear you're a free man still, I 'spose you're gonna be taking the occasional whiz test through probation, good luck with keeping it clean.......

 

[303hydro]

wtg Erb, glad to hear you're a free man still, I 'spose you're gonna be taking the occasional whiz test through probation, good luck with keeping it clean.......

don't chance it.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Glad to hear your situation didn't tank. About that gun and those you feel need to be aware of it, I'd consider only those associations you need no gun.

 

[designer]

If you need a gun to protect 30 grams of weed you may need to consider the the risk vs consequences. So what is 30 grams worth? $300 - $400? Is that worth a day in jail?

 

[statusquo]

Ahh, see the thing is I'm pleading guilty. It's part of the plea bargain. He wants to hear the truth, I believe if they suspect I'm lying for even one second I dug my own grave.

About the gun - I know I shouldn't have had it. I know it was stupid. But at the same time, I was growing. I was dealing. I felt obligated to have a first line of defense if the shit hit the fan - I can't be the ONLY one out there. When it comes to getting robbed, dealers are fair game. That's the only, and honest thing I have about it. I don't carry one, I don't act all "gangsta" with it. It sits in my bedroom 24 hours a day.

I guess my biggest problem is work. I ended up taking. most of the day off work today in order to go over everything. Gotta go in here in just a minute (4:30 am) but I'll be off work at 10:45 so I can go talk to my attorney again, and will be taking the rest of the day off. I gotta go in tomorrow morning for a few hours before court though - ugh.

Thanks for all the input and comments guys. I guess I'll either post back here Thursday or I won't. Peace and 'erb.

Wait I thought you said you could claim you grew it (implying you didn't actually grow it) but didn't want to because the quality didn't look good. I don't see what quality has to do with anything you could just be a shitty grower plus do you honestly think the judge would say "I know you didn't grow this because the quality is bad"? Even if he was educated about pot, this would be purely supposition.

As for the gun, you are correct. Many growers and dealers own guns. Additionally, many of those same people who are 4th waivers/have previous charges in general own guns. Theoretically I agree. In fact I think that EVERYONE should own a gun. By everyone I mean everyone; if everyone owned and knew how to operate a weapon violence would be greatly reduced IMO. However, just because something is theoretically true and/or makes sense doesn't mean anything when you look at the law. You say that you need a first line of defense which makes sense. You are a grower/dealer with a lot of valuable product and are a prime candidate for a potential robbery. The question is, is not losing your product more important to you than losing your freedom? It would seem obvious that 100% of the time the answer is no. Therefore, one should never own a gun if they are growing.

We can't give you legal advice but all I can say is you need to reherse. With your anxiety and fear of public speaking you need to practice speaking in front of a mirror and get comfortable. I would even go as far as to write a script and/or a notecard with key general points. That being said, I DON'T think you should try and memorize a bunch of shit because with anxiety, all of that will go out the window and as soon as you start to get nervous you will just go blank. Key points are all you need to remember and then you can extrapolate the rest on the spot if need be. In regards to the judge asking your where you got your stuff (I don't think a judge would ask this as his job isn't finding criminals; a LEO or prosecutor might ask this) I don't see why he would have any reason to doubt any answer that seems remotely plausible. Just say you bought it from some random guy you met at a party...30 grams isn't much.

Panic response is: I can't remember. Also, as a previous poster recommended, breathe. You still have your health and your sentence has already been significantly reduced. Good luck and try and relax if you can. It sounds shitty, but if you already have a charge (felony?) than another one won't be as bad as getting your first will it? Also, you already served time so you know what it is like and you said you would only have to do one more year. I don't know what state you are in but I am assuming somewhere in the midwest or south, but it seems all the prisons are over-flowing. Early release maybe? Actually upon further thought, guns to the court = threat to society = no early release. But this depends on your state and the current context so ya, there is still hope.

Edit: read outcome, congrats.
Regarding guns: how can you possibly say that it is stupid to deal and not own a gun? Not to be mean but you must be pretty thick to have gone through what you have gone through and still maintain that position...Additionally, what does owning a gun have to do with people finding your grow room? Answer, nothing. I bet you even people with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of pot, after getting caught, would tell you in a hot second they wish they didn't have a gun (especially if it was federal). You can't put a price tag on freedom IMO, and if you can it would be so high that only the biggest distributers would have cause to.Also, there are many alternatives to owning a gun that can help protect you and your product. Some involve security measures like cameras, automatic flood lights around your property, pepper spray...whatever. Hopefully you reassess these positions but either way I am glad you didn't get the long dick of the law.

 

[Rushoe]

That sucks bro. I really don't have any help to offer u I really wish I could help out somehow. Just wanna wish u the best brother!!!!!!!!!!!Best of luck...Chin up it's just weed in the end it's not so bad and if this is your 1st case np!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Breath easy homie!!!!!!!

 

[designer]

I know people that have a safe and don't tell everyone what they have. Just saying.

 

[PuReKnOwLeDgE]

Shitty situation, what a friend to wear a wire....

As for the gun, everyone should have one! You can't let all the bad people have em and not have one to protect yourself.

One member here once put it like this:

2 years in prison or DEAD, whats worse....

I literally had a .45 with a week or two after reading that. I had contemplated needing/wanting one for a long time, that statement changed it for me. Springfield .45 XDM 13+1 hollow points sitting directly under my mouse pad. Goes to bed with me every night

Hope your case comes out good for you, keep your head up and get new friends when you get done.

 

[SacredTHCRitual]

Shitty situation, what a friend to wear a wire....

As for the gun, everyone should have one! You can't let all the bad people have em and not have one to protect yourself.

One member here once put it like this:

2 years in prison or DEAD, whats worse....

I literally had a .45 with a week or two after reading that. I had contemplated needing/wanting one for a long time, that statement changed it for me. Springfield .45 XDM 13+1 hollow points sitting directly under my mouse pad. Goes to bed with me every night

Hope your case comes out good for you, keep your head up and get new friends when you get done.

Hey I once felt exactly like that...

all I can say is create a contrast before you let it own you..

My homie used to sling hard and bought a gun for the same reason..he ended up taking his own life with it..he was never that kind of person either never talked about shit like or nothing

listen to this song, read the lyrics, good luck...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0_gyfhw4Xk

Yea, he used to shoot it in the air for kicks.
Promised he had perfect aim, swore that he couldn't miss.
Wore it underneath his belt because by law that was his right.
Besides you never know what type of dangers hiding in the night.
Said he'd never use it in a fight he'd take a punch instead.
And It made him feel at home he used to hunt with Grandpa as a kid.
As time went on he started to think more and more,
about what he would do if he was home and someone kicked down his door.
Paranoia kept increasing.
He kept imagining a tragedy...
as if it was inevitable.
Trying to prepare himself for how he'd feel if he ever had to steal a life to save a loved one's or his own.
That soulless piece of metal was the boss of the relationship.
Bought it to keep him safe,
but it just made him sick.
And it wasn't until the day that he got rid of it that he felt like he was safe no longer a slave to that piece of shit.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you yea.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you yea.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you yea.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you yea.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you yea.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you yea.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you yea.
You can own it but mostly it'll own you no.

 

[SmokinErb]

so probation? sweet, was the gun charge bargained out? glad to hear you're so relieved.
peace

Yes, I don't really think I explained the terms of the plea bargain well, but I was actually never even charged with the gun. I was informed to be prepared to answer questions about it though by the judge and/or prosecutor in order to determine what would be the most suitable sentence.

wtg Erb, glad to hear you're a free man still, I 'spose you're gonna be taking the occasional whiz test through probation, good luck with keeping it clean.......

I have no intentions of violating this probation - I've got too much going for me. I've been clean for nearly 9 months now and I'll keep it that way for the time being. I may look into something like the whizzinator that was posted, but I doubt I'll even risk that. My one real advantage is that I have a high metabolism and my system gets clean quick. One thing I've always done, which I doubt I'll do this time around is to just smoke for a day or two after my probation meeting, and then spend 4 weeks clean before my next one. Worked for me 100% of the time.

Glad to hear your situation didn't tank. About that gun and those you feel need to be aware of it, I'd consider only those associations you need no gun.

I understand what you're saying - but you need to remember that I was dealing it at the time. It was all about money. It was a really bad decision, and it went from selling to just real friends, people I could trust (then again, I thought the C.I. was one of those people) to quite a few people I didn't care for.

If you need a gun to protect 30 grams of weed you may need to consider the the risk vs consequences. So what is 30 grams worth? $300 - $400? Is that worth a day in jail?

Okay I see where you're coming from but, I was only charged with 30 grams as part of a plea bargain. At the time they raided my place they found between 6 and 7 ounces and they had a "controlled buy" with a confidential informant wearing a wire. Dealing was pleaded down to possession over 30 grams. I had a grow room with over 100 plants as well - I noticed there were a lot of police around my place, more than usual over the week before the bust. I talked to my girlfriend, and decided to cut my losses and pull the plug. I chopped, grinded it all up and disposed of it after making a quick batch of bubble hash. The only plants I forgot about in the hectic "clearing out" were 6 or 7 clones that were in the back of my bedroom closet forgotten.

 

[SmokinErb]

Wait I thought you said you could claim you grew it (implying you didn't actually grow it) but didn't want to because the quality didn't look good. I don't see what quality has to do with anything you could just be a shitty grower plus do you honestly think the judge would say "I know you didn't grow this because the quality is bad"? Even if he was educated about pot, this would be purely supposition.

That's because I didn't actually grow it. I disposed of my grow before the bust, they did find remains of it, but nothing worth charging me over. The bud they found was pretty much shit - I wouldn't even smoke it. But locally, it's the easiest thing to push. People want the cheap shit. It was brick lol. If it was nugs, even seedy I'd just claim I grew it. Not so sure I'd want to risk passing off growing brick.

As for the gun, you are correct. Many growers and dealers own guns. Additionally, many of those same people who are 4th waivers/have previous charges in general own guns. Theoretically I agree. In fact I think that EVERYONE should own a gun. By everyone I mean everyone; if everyone owned and knew how to operate a weapon violence would be greatly reduced IMO. However, just because something is theoretically true and/or makes sense doesn't mean anything when you look at the law. You say that you need a first line of defense which makes sense. You are a grower/dealer with a lot of valuable product and are a prime candidate for a potential robbery. The question is, is not losing your product more important to you than losing your freedom? It would seem obvious that 100% of the time the answer is no. Therefore, one should never own a gun if they are growing.

This is something I've thought about long and hard prior to even reading this. The conclusion that I came to was this - it's not about losing the product. Fuck the product; that's why I chopped and disposed when I felt my freedom was at sake. What it IS about, is my safety. You can't predict who or HOW you'll get robbed. You can't predict their actions. You can't predict if they'll get scared and maybe do something stupid they never intended to do in the first place. There's too many "I just got scared" horror stories out there.

We can't give you legal advice but all I can say is you need to reherse. With your anxiety and fear of public speaking you need to practice speaking in front of a mirror and get comfortable. I would even go as far as to write a script and/or a notecard with key general points. That being said, I DON'T think you should try and memorize a bunch of shit because with anxiety, all of that will go out the window and as soon as you start to get nervous you will just go blank. Key points are all you need to remember and then you can extrapolate the rest on the spot if need be. In regards to the judge asking your where you got your stuff (I don't think a judge would ask this as his job isn't finding criminals; a LEO or prosecutor might ask this) I don't see why he would have any reason to doubt any answer that seems remotely plausible. Just say you bought it from some random guy you met at a party...30 grams isn't much.

It's done and over with now, but if I had to I decided I was just going to claim that I grew it - after reviewing the evidence there was no actual photo of the cannabis outside the bags, just a picture of the large storage bag which had 6 individual ounces weighed out and bagged inside of it. The actual cannabis was only visible by the color.

Panic response is: I can't remember. Also, as a previous poster recommended, breathe. You still have your health and your sentence has already been significantly reduced. Good luck and try and relax if you can. It sounds shitty, but if you already have a charge (felony?) than another one won't be as bad as getting your first will it? Also, you already served time so you know what it is like and you said you would only have to do one more year. I don't know what state you are in but I am assuming somewhere in the midwest or south, but it seems all the prisons are over-flowing. Early release maybe? Actually upon further thought, guns to the court = threat to society = no early release. But this depends on your state and the current context so ya, there is still hope.

Yeah, it wasn't so bad this time around. After my 1st I pretty much gave up on life and just said "fuck it." But yeah, mid-west is about right, our prisons are pretty much loaded.

Edit: read outcome, congrats.
Regarding guns: how can you possibly say that it is stupid to deal and not own a gun? Not to be mean but you must be pretty thick to have gone through what you have gone through and still maintain that position...Additionally, what does owning a gun have to do with people finding your grow room? Answer, nothing. I bet you even people with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of pot, after getting caught, would tell you in a hot second they wish they didn't have a gun (especially if it was federal). You can't put a price tag on freedom IMO, and if you can it would be so high that only the biggest distributers would have cause to.Also, there are many alternatives to owning a gun that can help protect you and your product. Some involve security measures like cameras, automatic flood lights around your property, pepper spray...whatever. Hopefully you reassess these positions but either way I am glad you didn't get the long dick of the law.

I don't know about "thick," I like to look at it as a safety thing. As I stated, when I was dealing and had valuable product like that laying around, I believe that makes someone a prime candidate for robbery. I'm not talking about burglary, coming in when I'm not home, I'm talking about when I am home. You can't put a price on freedom, but what I do know is this - life is far more valuable than freedom. I'll take a few years in prison over death any day of the week.

I stated that I believed the gun was more of a deterrent than anything. I didn't threaten people but more like "hey man, check this out," to ensure that they knew I had it. All I know is this - if I was going to rob someone, I'd think twice about it if I knew they had a gun. And that's how I believe it could prevent anyone from finding out I grow - if you're not robbing me and looking through my place for the stash, you're not going to find my grow.

Anyway, I know this is a touchy subject. And I know there are other methods. I don't see how security cameras are of any benefit to protecting an illegal investment - it was something I considered. I still think about nanny-cam just so if it DOES happen - I'll know who did it. I'm just not so big on the whole "revenge" thing, I gave that up when I was 22.

I do have a taser. It was laying right next to my gun. But what good is a taser if the person robbing you has a gun? In 99.9% of cases, I'd have been able to use that taser if necessary (I'm a pretty big guy - 6'4" 205 lbs and fully capable of handling myself), but what about that 0.1%? What about the guy that comes in with a little .22 and gets scared when he sees me? At the end of the day I'm almost positive I'd rather spend some time in prison than to be at the bad end of that situation.

There's pros and cons of the whole gun thing. Depending on state law, no matter if the gun is legal or not, if you have an illegal grow the gun is a felony charge. But at the same time - it's an effective weapon meant to be used at a distance. After considering your post, I'll be looking into other non-lethal weapons that are used for keeping an attack at a distance. Perhaps one of those tasers and shoot out those wires - my issue with those is, it's a one shot deal. I"m sure there's something out there.

Thanks for the feedback, man. I appreciate any reply that makes you think.

 

[LiLWaynE]

good for you man... good for you... glad you got off... i don't know you personally so i do not know if you are a fuck or not, but the fact that you can type well shows me that you are halfway decent of an individual... so once again, congrats on the sentence...

until about 2 years ago i was against guns....it was then when i started realizing how many other people have guns and how "out-gunned" ... even went as far as getting trained and schooled and now have a ccw permit.

Id much rather be judged by 12 then carried by 6 myself...........