Typically, criminal charges pertaining to loitering bring to mind juvenile crimes and the like. In actuality, in many areas, such laws were enacted in an attempt to help crackdown in the activities of gangs who were in the works of a committing a drug crime – such as distribution or sale.
Loitering, however, also has serious roots in sex crimes as well. For example, according to the California Penal Code 652.22, it is considered illegal for a person to loiter in a public place if they have clear intentions to commit or take place in prostitution. In this meaning, loitering is considered delaying or lingering when there is no explicit legal reason to be on the property.
Law enforcement is extremely vigilant in their attempts to ensure that prostitution does not occur and is therefore ruthless in their attempts to essentially nip the crime in the bud. They therefore are constantly on alert for those that they believe to be in the beginning stages of committing prostitution.
There are, therefore, several ‘warning signs’ that they will look out for to help determine the intentions of the person in question. This includes beckoning towards passersby, frequently engaging in conversation, repeatedly hailing motor vehicles, and routinely driving motor vehicles through the area while engaging with pedestrians. Previous convictions will also weigh heavily on the actions of law enforcement. This is a brief overview of the signs that they will look for, however, it is by no means a fully conclusive list.
If you are facing criminal charges relating to prostitution, you have no time to lose in seeking legal representation from an aggressive criminal attorney. These criminal cases are costly, inconvenient and can have life-altering consequences. Should you be facing an accusation or if you have reason to believe that you are under investigation, you simply do not have the luxury of wasting your time.
Often, in these types of cases, law enforcement will spend a considerable amount of time observing and watching the accused to build up their case. In many situations, they will then partake in a “sting operation” to help culprits. This means, that by the time that you are facing an arrest, you will already have a considerable body of evidence that you will be facing – you will need an attorney on your side who will be willing and able to take on a case of this complexity.
At Okabe and Haushalter, we know the importance of protecting our clients and will do everything we can to defend their freedom. We are not deterred by difficult circumstances, but rather quickly spurred to action in our attempts to navigate through the case as effectively as possible. To learn more about how we can help, contact a South Bay criminal defense lawyer from our firm today.
