CRIMINAL DEFENSE/DUI CRIMINAL DEFENSE/DUI/POSSESSION

Once charged with a crime, you need to call John T. Long 205.745.7053 to protect your rights under the law. 

  The State has the burden of proof to show “beyond a reasonable doubt” that you are guilty of committing the crime that you are charged with. That burden of proof is proven by the State prosecutor through eyewitness testimony, circumstantial evidence and forensics. 

  In today’s courtroom, there is no justice! The police continue to violate rights guaranteed under the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Alabama. They lie, they search illegally and they are out of control! The judges are no better; they back up the prosecutor, the police and detectives. Trust me, I have tried hundreds of criminal cases, juried and non-juried. Some Judges have threatened me with jail because I have caught the police in lies and the witnesses, too. 

  Often times it is not about the evidence, but who the prosecutor is, what kind of mood he is in, what mood the Judge is in and a host of other factors that John can intuitively recognize and make the most of. As a result, he has successfully recovered “not guilty” verdicts on murder, first degree rape and reduced sentences on trafficking (meth, ecstasy, crack cocaine, cocaine), manufacturing (meth), possession of controlled substances, armed robbery, theft of property, receipt of stolen property and forgery.

  During trial it is my goal to place that “reasonable doubt” in the minds of the jurors. This is accomplished by cross examination of the witnesses, mishandling of evidence, discrepancies in testimony of police (the truth never changes, lies do!) and a variety of other facts and circumstances that John intuitively recognizes. Here is an example of how it works and how the police lie and avoid a search warrant:

I had a criminal case in Opelika. My client has been caught with a “mini meth lab” in his shoulder bag while he visited the dealer. The police had tricked them into letting them in the house by asking for a glass of tea. I’d prepared the night before to get the case thrown out based on an illegal search. I meet with the prosecutor and she offers my client fifteen years, split three years, which means that he’ll spend three years in prison and be on probation for fifteen. I take the offer to my client and he refuses. We break for lunch. I counter offer ten years and probation. The prosecutor counters with fifteen years and she won’t oppose applying for probation. I tell my client to take it and the judge will probably grant probation although I have no idea what this judge will do since it’s my first time in Opelika court. We decide to take our chances. I fill out the paperwork and I’m waiting on the judge to call us up for the plea. The judge says who is next? Another lawyer and I stand up at the same time. I tell the other lawyer to go ahead in front of me. While the other lawyer is standing before the judge the prosecutor gets up and goes to talk to the detectives. She comes back to me and offers fifteen years, split thirty days. My client had already spent thirty days in jail. 

We take the plea and as we’re leaving the courtroom, I turn to my client and say, “You know this would have never happened if I had not let that other lawyer go first!”

                      JURY TRIALS

Murder case-NOT GUILTY-Jefferson County

Rape-CASE DISMISSED-Jefferson County

Assault/Discharge of weapon into an occupied dwelling-NOT GUILTY-Shelby County