Illinois residents may know Artie Lange from his time on the “Howard Stern Show”. In May 2017, he was taken into custody on charges of heroin and cocaine possession. In December 2017, he entered a guilty plea on a third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance charge. The cocaine possession charge was dropped as a condition of the plea.
Instead of jail time, he will spend four years on probation as well as conduct 50 hours of community service. Furthermore, he will be required to take part in an outpatient treatment program. The comedian was originally taken into custody after being stopped on Garden State Parkway when authorities noticed that his Range Rover was being driven erratically. When police made contact with him, they found a bag of heroin in his possession.
Those who are taken into custody on drug charges could face a variety of serious consequences. For instance, it may be possible to spend time in jail or prison. In certain cases, an individual could spend decades or the rest of his or her life behind bars. Other penalties include a fine, probation and a suspended sentence. An attorney may be able to review a case in an effort to create a defense to the charge.
Defenses to a drug charge may include arguing that a person did not knowingly possess a controlled substance. It could also be asserted that a police officer didn’t have probable cause to search a vehicle or otherwise search an individual’s belongings. If these arguments are successful, it may result in a plea deal or case being thrown out entirely. Certain charges may be dropped as a result of a plea deal, which may help a person avoid some or all penalties related to them.