On Sept. 28, it was reported that a North Carolina man who admitted to being a habitual felon was sentenced to at least seven years in prison. According to the report, he pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, including possession of a stolen motor vehicle, identity theft and others.
In September 2015, the man gave a stolen check to a bank while he was in possession of an identification card that had been stolen. After the check was analyzed, a thumb print that was found on the check was matched to the accused man. He was charged with identity theft, forgery and uttering. The following month, authorities were called to a hotel for suspected drug activity where they encountered the accused man. They also discovered a stolen vehicle in his possession. In November, the man stole a vehicle from an auto dealer. He was charged for this with larceny of a motor vehicle.
The accused man had attained the status of a habitual felon in 2008. He had just been released from prison in 2014. In North Carolina, people attain the status of a habitual felon when they have been convicted of three prior felony offenses in separate cases prior to committing a fourth felony.
If a person has been accused of multiple felonies, a criminal law attorney may assist with creating a strong defense in order to either seek to have the charges dismissed or to reduce the severity of the potential penalties. Depending on the evidence, the attorney may argue that the authorities did not follow proper procedures when taking the defendant into custody.
Source: WLOS, “Habitual felon to spend more than 7 years in prison“, Kristy Steward, Sept. 28, 2016
