Pre-Trial Motions

In all criminal defense cases, but particularly in drug cases, an important part of your defense should be pre-trial motions, including motions to suppress evidence or statements based on:

• Fourth Amendment search and seizure violations;
• Miranda violations;
• Coercive interrogations;
• Faulty eyewitness identifications;
• Defective search warrants; and
• Other constitutional violations.

Motions to Suppress in SC Criminal Cases

In every criminal case that we handle, we search for evidence or testimony that will be inadmissible at trial – it won’t be excluded unless your attorney identifies it beforehand, points it out to the court, and asks for it to be suppressed.

There could be hearsay evidence that is anticipated based on pre-trial interviews of the witnesses, constitutional or statutory violations by police or prosecutors, or any evidence that for any reason is inadmissible under the U.S. or S.C. Constitutions or laws or the rules of evidence.

“Chipping away” at the state’s case can help to win a trial by taking away key pieces of evidence that were obtained unlawfully, and, in some cases, can result in a dismissal before the trial begins…

Motions to Suppress in SC Drug Cases

When the police conduct searches without warrants in flagrant disregard of the constitution, obtain warrants without probable cause, commit racial profiling on the highways, or violate the constitution in any way, the remedy is suppression of the evidence in your case.

Many judges are reluctant to dismiss a drug case based on these violations, and this means that you will need a defense attorney who knows the law, knows how to present and argue your motions to suppress to the court, and who is willing to fight for every piece of inadmissible evidence.

Some of the issues that are common in drug trials include:

• Traffic stops with no probable cause;
• Extended roadside detentions where there was no articulable, reasonable suspicion;
• Vehicle searches without probable cause;
• Home searches without a search warrant;
• Home searches with an invalid search warrant;
• Drug dogs who are “coached” or improperly trained; and
• Chain of custody issues with the drugs.

When you are facing drug charges, whether it is simple possession of marijuana or trafficking in heroin, you need an experienced, aggressive criminal defense attorney who will ensure that your rights are protected and who will fight to obtain the best result possible.

SC Drug Crimes Lawyer in Columbia, Lexington, and Myrtle Beach

Lacey Thompson is a SC criminal defense trial lawyer who limits her practice to criminal defense cases including SC drug crimes.

Call the Thompson & Hiller Defense Firm now at (843) 444-6122 or contact us online for a free consultation if you have been arrested or charged with drug possession, sale, distribution, manufacture, cultivation, trafficking, or any other drug crime.