Title: How Could I Get My Criminal Charges Dropped? | CriminalDefenseLawyer.com
Headings: Getting a Criminal Charge Dismissed
Getting a Criminal Charge Dismissed
Many cases are dismissed before a plea or trial. Learn about the common reasons why.
Defend your rights. We've helped 95 clients find attorneys today.
No Probable Cause to Arrest
Mistake in Criminal Complaint
Illegal Stop or Search
Insufficient Evidence
Unavailable Witness or Lost Evidence
Prosecutor's Discretion
After a Successful Appeal
A Bad Arrest or Search
Insufficient Evidence to Support the Jury's Finding
No Jurisdiction
Consult an Attorney

Content: Occasionally, cases are dismissed after the defendant has gone to trial, lost, and won an appeal. For information on post-conviction dismissals, see Getting a Case Dismissed After Conviction. No Probable Cause to Arrest
In order to arrest a person, police must have probable cause to believe that the person committed a crime. A police officer cannot arrest a person simply because he has a gut feeling that the person just robbed the liquor store down the street. The officer must have a reasonable belief based on objective factual circumstances that the person robbed the store. For instance, after the liquor store robbery, an eye witness to the robbery describes the robber to the police officer as a person wearing a red jacket with a dragon emblem and boots and carrying a knife with a long blade and a black handle. If the officer sees a person matching that description hiding in a doorway down the street, he likely has probable cause to arrest. If the officer arrested a person hiding in a doorway near the liquor store without any physical description from a witness or other basis for concluding that the person committed the crime, the officer made the arrest without probable cause and the charges may be dismissed. If, however, the prosecutor obtains other substantial evidence that tends to prove that the defendant robbed the store, the prosecutor can re-file the charges or possibly even avoid a dismissal. For more information on probable cause to arrest, see When the Police Can Make an Arrest: