While it may hardly seem like a crime, under certain circumstances, you can be charged with a Class A Misdemeanor for failing to give your correct name, address or birthdate to police.
In Illinois, Obstructing Identification involves knowingly and intentionally providing false information to police once you have been lawfully detained or arrested or the officer has good cause to believe you witnessed a crime. For example, an Illinois Appellate Court recently upheld a conviction against a woman who gave police a third party’s ID claiming it was her own after she had been lawfully detained for suspected DUI.
If you are charged with Obstructing Identification, consult an attorney immediately. Do not speak to the police or a third party about your case. Your attempt to talk your way out of a situation might only dig you in deeper.
An experienced criminal law attorney can review your case for your best possible defense. As with most criminal offenses, the state must prove all the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Did you realize you had given the wrong information to the police? Were you lawfully detained or did the police randomly ask for your information?
Even if the evidence against you is overwhelming, an experienced attorney who is respected in the courthouse may be able to work out a more favorable plea agreement than you could on your own.
If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal, DUI or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.
(Besides Skokie, Matt Keenan also serves the communities of Arlington Heights, Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette and Winnetka.)
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Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).
Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).