Accused of Disorderly Conduct in Maryland?

 Disorderly/Disturbing the Peace is a Criminal Offense Under Maryland Law

Charges like disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace are legally vague and confusing. Whatever happened that day, you were probably shocked to be arrested and facing a criminal charge for your actions. But now you are facing fines and maybe even jail time; you need the best legal advice you can find to help you work this out.

Most likely this is your first experience with the Maryland criminal courts. You are likely confused and feeling some significant stress about your criminal charges. It’s now that the experience and skills of an aggressive attorney can be critical to the best outcome in court.

And Maryland criminal courts are often not very forgiving. You probably feel like no one in the system is on your side. But whatever happened, a good criminal defense attorney only cares about the best possible outcome for you, the client.

So whether you feel responsible for your actions and want to just put the whole thing behind you, or you feel that you have been wrongly accused, we will make sure you are treated fairly in court.

Call us today for a free legal defense consultation. We will discuss your charges in detail and see how we can help.

Maryland Disorderly Conduct Laws

Disorderly conduct, under Maryland law, includes the following actions:

• Blocking the passing of people into or out of a public place

• Acting in a disorderly manner that disturbs the peace

• Not obeying a lawful order by the police made in an attempt to keep the peace

• Making unreasonable loud noises or disturbing the peace of another

As you can see, there are many actions that could be considered disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace. And the law is deliberately vague. A police officer has the discretion to arrest you anytime he or she feels that you are being difficult or a nuisance. Even if you are simply expressing your rights to free speech.

So it is easy to see why you may have not even been aware you were breaking the law at the time. Actions like “making unreasonably loud noises” are quite vague and very frequent occurrences.

That's why we are prepared to argue in many case that whatever happened was perfectly legitimate, and that the police officer may have overreacted.

In these cases, the criminal charges against you should be dismissed.

Maryland Disorderly Conduct Penalties

Under Maryland law, disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor and typically carries a sentence of up to 60 days in jail and fines reaching $500.

If you act to prevent entry into a hospital, however, the potential sentence is raised to up to 90 days in prison and fines reaching $1,000.

What Happens in a Disorderly Conduct Case?

There are several things that could get you charged with disorderly conduct. While it is not a felony, it will cause a mark on your record. A permanent criminal record is something that can follow you for years, and potentially for life.

Fortunately, good defense attorneys know this charge can be fought and very often, you can win. A successful outcome in court could mean a reduction down from a criminal offense to a civil penalty. Or it could mean getting probation in lieu of active jail time. Perhaps, we can help you get the charges dropped altogether.

We want to hear the specifics of your case, and we can help. Call today for a consultation on your charges.

Call (888) 452-4344 now or contact us and we'll get back to you. But don't wait.. some of our best legal options may have a limited time period on which we can act on them.