Prince George's County Criminal Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been charged with a criminal or traffic offense in Prince George’s County make sure you hire a lawyer with extensive PG County experience.  The court system in PG is much different than other parts of the state, and these differences often work to the advantage of the defendants.  We don’t mean the laws or the rules of the courtroom are different, but rather it’s the little details, and knowing how to navigate through the Upper Marlboro and Hyattsville courts could mean the difference between a dismissal and a conviction.  PG is the second largest county in Maryland, with a population of almost 900,000 residents, which means the court system is overwhelmed just like most other suburban and urban jurisdictions.  Judges try to move their dockets along as quickly as possible to accommodate the dozens of defendants, cops and lawyers that line up in the insides of the courtrooms.  In district court all witnesses are required to show up for trial, and be prepared to testify.  If the state’s witnesses do not appear for trial the state may be forced to enter a nolle prosequi, but this depends on a number of factors.  Circuit court works differently, but the judges are similar in that most pride themselves on moving their docket along and resolving cases when possible.  Benjamin Herbst has handled numerous cases in the district and circuit courts of PG County, and he knows how to navigate the system in order to produce the best possible outcome for his clients.  Simply put he will not settle for a mediocre result, and with so much on the line in criminal court no lawyer should.

As the second largest county in the state, PG is highly diverse area with both urban and rural neighborhoods, as well as everything in between.  A large portion of the population works for the federal government and for government support agencies and thousands of people commute to Washington D.C. each day for work.  Bowie is the largest and most well known city within PG County, but Upper Marlboro is actually the seat or capital, and where the county government offices as well as the circuit court are located.  High population areas inside the capital beltway or 495 include Capital Heights, Suitland and Forestville.  Other cities include Laurel, Greenbelt and College Perk in the northern part of the county and Mitchellville and Springdale in the central county.  Southern areas include Fort Washington, Oxen Hill, Clinton and the now famous National Harbor area that is home to the modern MGM casino (where many of our clients have been wrongfully charged with crimes).  This area of the county sits along the Potomac River and is in close proximity to Washington and Virginia.

Without a doubt the main police department that services the area is the PG County Police.  Many cities and towns in the county are unincorporated maintain their own smaller police departments, but walking through the halls of the Upper Marlboro courthouse you are likely to see about 9 out of 10 police officers sporting the PG County blue.  Bowie has its own police department, as wellsas the University of Maryland and other incorporated areas.  There are also numerous federal properties in the county, which are policed by federal law enforcement agencies such as the Capital Park Police and Joint Base Andrews Police.  The Park Police patrols areas of 295 and other federally maintained highways, and are notorious for arresting people for DUI.  Benjamin Herbst has handled criminal cases charges by all of these police departments and has achieved dismissals for his clients in Upper Marlboro, Hyattsville and the Greenbelt federal court.  If you have been arrested or charged in Prince George’s County contact Benjamin anytime for a free consultation at 410-207-2598.