Criminal Defense

Experienced Criminal Defense

Being charged with a crime – any crime – can change your life forever. A criminal conviction can come with serious criminal penalties for adults and juveniles. Criminal prosecution also presents risks to getting or keeping a job, building or keeping your reputation, and protecting the life you and your family have made.

Turner Padget is focused on protecting your rights. Our Criminal Defense Attorneys are tough, well-trained lawyers with decades of criminal law experience.

• We will stand with you.
• We will fight to protect your rights.
• We will guide you through whatever criminal prosecution you are facing.

Turner Padget will make sure whoever it is – law enforcement, prosecutors, the judge or a jury – knows there’s another side to the story: your side.

Need a Confidential Consultation?
Call (864) 552-4652

FAQs on Criminal Cases in S.C.

Can I get bond on my charges?

You are entitled to a reasonable bond. In most cases after your initial bond has been set, a Circuit Court Judge will determine what a reasonable bond is for you. 

In South Carolina the law permits two types of bonds for criminal charges. A personal recognizance or PR bond is a bond you post yourself without paying money up-front. It is a promise that you will pay the amount of the bond should you fail to appear in court. A surety bond is put up by someone else, usually a bonding company, and is a promise by the other person that they will ensure you appear in court or pay the amount of the bond. The main factors a judge has to consider for any bond are (1) whether you pose a danger to the community and (2) whether you are a flight risk, that is whether you will show up for court.

You may be eligible for either bond, one bond over the other, or no bond at all. Whatever bond you want to ask a court for will involve assessing the two bond factors of flight risk and danger to the community, as well as several others. Your overall life circumstances, how much money you do or don’t have, your job and how long you’ve been there or whether you may lose it, what did or did not happen in the case, what the victims are or are not saying now—these are all factors for the court to consider in setting a reasonable bond.

What should I do to get my bond reduced or changed?

You will likely have to file a motion in General Sessions Court asking for your bond to be reduced. You may have to negotiate terms with the prosecutor. Getting a bond reduced is highly dependent on the type of charge, the circumstances of alleged incident and other factors the law requires a judge to consider. All of these things are best done by a lawyer. Turner Padget can help you evaluate your options and take the necessary steps to request a bond reduction for you.