John Dawson, was charged with multiple indictments of theft and with two
counts of sale/delivery of cocaine and a controlled substance. He was
currently in the federal penitentiary and was transported to the Monroe
County Jail, in Tennessee. The defendant's counsel attempted to work
with the defendant regarding his cases, but he would not cooperate on
the basis that he had another attorney. Counsel then requested a mental
evaluation because she could not understand why the defendant was saying this.
The reason why was that a sheriff's officer was posing as an attorney
for the defendant's cell mate to gain the trust of the defendant.
The sheriff's officer would then send letters to the cell mate, but
they were actually directed to the inmate. One of the sheriff's officer,
while posing as an attorney, told the defendant that he would get out
jail. The officers also told the defendant not to communicate with his
appointed counsel.
This case is troubling and signifies
WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT YOUR CASE EXCEPT YOUR ATTORNEY
(EVEN OTHER ATTORNEYS).
One of the the most fundamental aspects of our criminal justice system
is that the accused has a Sixth Amendment right to the assistance of counsel
during all critical stages of the trial process. This is important because
once this right has attached, the State has to ensure that no action is
taken to interfere with the accused's right to counsel.
This defendant was lucky--the Tennessee Court of Criminal
Appeals dismissed all of the indictments due to the State's reprehensible
behavior. It is imperative that you hire an attorney that you can trust
and will represent you as early as possible. Never talk to anyone about
your case except for a Plano criminal defense attorney. Contact a
Collin County criminal defense lawyer to protect
ALL of your constitutional rights.
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