Redmond O'Neal, son of acclaimed actor Ryan O'Neal, appeared in court last week on a Probation Violation charge. In August, O'Neal was arrested on Possession of Heroin and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. O'Neal, who has a long-standing drug problem, pled guilty and was directed to participate in a one year drug rehabilitation program as a term of his probation. In September, he was arrested on a probation violation charge after he left the treatment program and attempted to buy drugs. Last week, O'Neal was given another chance and reinstated on probation, but now he must wear a GPS monitoring device around his ankle to track his movements. O'Neal faces up to six (6) years in prison if he violates probation again.
When a person is placed on probation, the Court imposes a suspended sentence. The suspended sentence is the jail or prison time that the defendant can be ordered to serve if they do not successfully complete the term of probation. A Probation Violation occurs if the probation officer, who is assigned to supervise the defendant, believes that the defendant has violated the conditions of probation. A person who is charged with a probation violation is almost always arrested and held in jail until the court can hear evidence on the charge.
In some cases, the defendant is found not to be in violation at all. In other cases, an attorney can negotiate for or argue to the Court for the accused person to be reinstated on the same terms, or on additional terms such as a treatment program or GPS device. In still other cases, the attorney can seek to reduce the underlying sentence so that, even if the defendant is revoked, he will serve substantially less time than was originally ordered to serve as a suspended sentence.
If you or someone you know is charged with a Probation Violation, it is important that you contact a Las Vegas Criminal Defense Attorney right away. The Las Vegas Criminal Defense Lawyer can assist you in analyzing the facts of your case, identifying appropriate defenses and providing you with the most aggressive defense strategy possible to protect your legal rights.