If you think that the police don’t have a reason to arrest your friend, tell your friend to ask whether he or she is under arrest or not. Also, ask whether or not he or she is free to go. If the police cannot make an arrest, they have to let your friend go.
Your friend may not want you to contact family members. However, if you cannot afford your friend’s bail or if your friend cannot afford a lawyer, it might be the best option.
After reading your friend his or her Miranda rights, the police can continue to interact with your friend. Any voluntary statements your friend makes to them can be used at the trial. The police cannot threaten your friend or force your friend in any other way to talk to them or give them any sort of statement.
In the United States, moving vehicles are subject by law enforcement to search with probable cause after a traffic stop. This would not constitute an illegal search.
You should speak with an attorney who has at least 3 to 5 years of criminal defense experience. Find someone who can go speak with your friend in jail.
This means the friend should still wait for a public defender before speaking to the police. The friend will not receive a public defender until the arraignment (the first appearance in front of the judge) in most cases.
If your friend cannot afford the bond amount set by the judge, you or other friends and family may help him or her pay for bail.
If you have trouble locating your friend after his or her arrest, a bail bondsman can help with this as well.
If your friend fails to appear after signing such a bond, a warrant will be issued for his or her arrest. Your friend will also owe a predetermined amount of money to the court that the judge will decide when issuing the signature bond.
