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WHAT IS A COMMON NUISANCE?

On Behalf of | Mar 9, 2017 | Firm News |

For instance, recently, more than eight people were arrested and charged with visiting or maintaining a common nuisance after police conducted a raid. In this post, we will look more closely at what a common nuisance is and what penalties you might be facing if you wind up charged with an offense stemming from a common nuisance.

According to Rhode Island laws, a common nuisance is any home, building, boat, car or other location that is used to sell, use or store drugs and other controlled substances. Below are the penalties associated with the various common nuisance offenses.

  • If you maintain a common nuisance, you can be charged with a criminal offense. If convicted, you could face a fine of $5,000 and/or five years imprisonment.
  • If you knowingly permit your car, home, store or other place to be used as a common nuisance, you could face a fine of $20,000 and/or 15 years imprisonment.
  • If you visit a place known to be a common nuisance, you could be fined $500 and/or imprisoned for one year.

These charges are not uncommon in light of police raids and sting operations. Oftentimes, police try to arrest any and everyone on the premises, and common nuisance charges allow them to do this even if a person does not have drugs.

Even though common nuisance charges may not seem serious, especially when compared to the severe penalties of other drug charges, they are still criminal charges, and a conviction can have a devastating impact on your future. To defend yourself, you can consult an attorney experienced in defending against drug crimes.

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