ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Armed Robbery Defense | Haskell & Dyer
Adding a Weapon Turns Robbery Into One of the Heaviest Charges in the State.
Robbery with a dangerous weapon carries some of the most severe penalties Maryland allows. Whether a weapon was actually used, displayed, or even present is a question we press hard from the very first day.
If You're Facing This Charge
Say nothing to police. Call a lawyer immediately.
Armed robbery puts years, even decades, of prison on the line. The weapon element is what separates it from ordinary robbery, and what you say can lock in the claim that a weapon was involved. Stay silent, ask for a lawyer, and call before you say a single word.
The Element That Raises the Stakes
Robbery, Plus a Dangerous Weapon
Armed robbery is robbery with one more element added. That element is the whole difference, and it is where the defense concentrates its fire.
The Base Charge
The Robbery Underneath
Armed robbery still requires everything robbery requires: a taking, from a person or their presence, by force or threat. If the State cannot prove the robbery itself, or tie it to you, the armed charge has no foundation.
The Element That Elevates
The Weapon
What makes it armed robbery is a dangerous weapon. Whether one was actually used, displayed, or even real is often genuinely in dispute, and that question can be the difference between armed robbery and ordinary robbery.
What's at Stake
Among the Most Severe Penalties in the State
Armed robbery is treated as one of the most serious violent felonies there is.
Decades
Exposure to a long term of years in prison
Violent
A serious crime of violence on your record
Felony
A felony conviction with lasting consequences
Rights
The civil-rights losses that follow a felony
How We Defend an Armed Robbery Charge
The weapon element is what makes this so serious. Take it apart, and the charge can drop to robbery and off the heaviest track.
We Attack the Weapon Element
If no weapon was used, displayed, or real, the charge may be robbery, not armed robbery. We press hard on what the State can actually prove.
We Challenge Identity
These cases often rest on fast, frightening encounters and shaky identifications. We test whether the State can really tie it to you.
We Test the Evidence
Video, witnesses, and the investigation all have weak points. We scrutinize the identification, the timeline, and the proof.
We Push to Reduce
Where the weapon element is weak, we work to bring the charge down to robbery, taking the heaviest exposure off the table.
Common Questions
Armed Robbery Charges, Answered
What makes it armed robbery instead of robbery?
Armed robbery is robbery committed with a dangerous weapon. The weapon is the added element that elevates the charge and the penalties. If the State cannot prove a dangerous weapon was actually involved, the case may be ordinary robbery instead, which carries far less exposure.
No weapon was ever found. Can they still charge armed robbery?
Sometimes, yes, the State may rely on what a victim says they saw or believed. But the absence of a recovered weapon is a real issue we press on. What the State can actually prove about a weapon, versus what was claimed in a frightening moment, is often a central weakness in the case.
It wasn't a real weapon. Does that matter?
It can, and it is a fact-specific question worth examining closely. Whether an object qualifies as a dangerous weapon, and what was actually used or displayed, can affect the charge. We look hard at exactly what was involved and how the State intends to prove it.
Can an armed robbery charge be reduced?
Often, that is the central goal. Because the weapon is what elevates the charge, undercutting that element can bring armed robbery down to robbery, off the heaviest track. The difference in exposure between the two can be measured in many years.
How serious is an armed robbery conviction?
It is among the most serious charges in the state, a violent felony carrying exposure to a long prison term. That is exactly why the defense fights so hard over the weapon element and the identification, the two things that most often decide where the case lands.
Charged With Armed Robbery? This Is Not a Case to Face Alone.
The weapon element can mean decades, but it can be challenged. Tell us what happened and get an honest read on how we fight the State's case. The first conversation is free and confidential.
Arrested or being questioned? Call our 24/7 line now: 240-687-0179
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC
Fax: 301-627-5848
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