Should I Talk to Detectives if I’m Accused of a Sex Crime? Combs Waterkotte attorneys Christopher Combs and Joshua Boardman discuss everything you need to know about Illinois sex crime charges, including sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape, and more.
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Interview Transcript
Scott Michael Dunn: Should I talk to detectives if I’m accused of a sex crime in Illinois?
Christopher Combs: Absolutely not.
Joshua Boardman: In no world.
Combs: Yes, I hate to talk over you, but that’s just an absolute no, no, no. I mean, all you’re going to do is dig your own grave. Again, that’s where you need to hire an attorney and get an attorney involved. And going back to what we just said about questions with no good answers, things of that nature. And police are allowed to legally lie, so, “Look, we’ve got your DNA.” Well, they may not have the DNA, but boy, if you think they’ve got the DNA, they may elicit some type of confession. So, no, the answer is a hard, hard no.
Dunn: What do you do if a detective wants to ask questions?
Boardman: Call one of us. No, honestly, if you are contacted by a detective or law enforcement, the first thing that you should do is say, “At this point in time, I’m going to take down your contact information, but I am going to review this information with an attorney.” And call an attorney, and then that attorney can act as a liaison or a mouthpiece for whatever response you want to have. And the smart answer may sometimes be we’re not going to give a response, but whenever you are contacted, the first thing you should do is delay that communication as long as you can with the reasoning that you’re going to consult with an attorney.
Combs: And yes, just to expand on that a bit, it goes back to what I was saying. If you get that phone call, that’s the best time to hire a lawyer. Oftentimes, we have people who wait or they’re hoping that this is just going to go away. So, it’s the best time to hire a lawyer because the case is somewhat in its infancy and it gives us a chance to potentially shut it down. And if not shut it down, get way in front of it as opposed to “now I’m charged” and then we’re dealing with detention hearings and things of that nature.
