The call came in around midnight, and the first thing you heard was your daughter’s voice shaking as she explained she was arrested near downtown Laramie and did not know what to do next. You are hours away, it is the middle of the night, and every search you try only turns up generic information that doesn’t tell you what actually happens to her case or when. You don’t know Wyoming law, you don’t know which court will hear her case, and you don’t know who to call at this hour. Rogers & Garvie, LLC understands that fear from the first phone call and stands ready to be the steady, knowledgeable voice your family needs while you are still trying to catch your breath.
What Does a Laramie Criminal Defense Attorney Do for You?
An attorney’s first job is to prevent the situation from getting worse before it gets better. That starts with protecting your constitutional rights, learning as much as possible, as early as possible, about the case, and making sure the prosecution meets its heavy burden of proof at every step along the way.
How Does Wyoming Classify Criminal Charges?
Wyoming divides every criminal charge into one of two categories, and the category that applies changes everything about how the case unfolds. Any crime punishable by more than one year in prison or by death is a felony; everything else is a misdemeanor. Misdemeanors themselves default to a maximum of six months in jail and a $750 fine unless the specific statute defining that crime sets a different penalty. Felony fines can reach $10,000 when the specific statute doesn’t set its own limit.
Why Does It Matter Who Arrested You?
Here is something almost no one thinks to ask until it is too late: Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers, University of Wyoming campus police, Albany County Sheriff’s deputies, and the Laramie Police Department all patrol overlapping parts of the same city, and which agency detained you can change the paperwork, the charging agency, and sometimes even the courthouse handling your case. A citation connected to an incident on the University of Wyoming campus does not move through the system the same way a citation from a county deputy on the outskirts of town does.
Do You Have a Right to a Laramie Criminal Defense Attorney?
Wyoming law entitles anyone facing a charge that could result in jail time to representation. Whether you retain a private criminal defense attorney, including Rogers & Garvie, or work with a public defender, you are never required to face an interrogation room or courtroom alone. That right exists the moment you’re arrested, not just once formal charges are filed.
Since law enforcement would rather you answer their questions and help with their investigation, they are not required to help you obtain an attorney or advise you to hire one. You are responsible for clearly telling law enforcement that you want a lawyer. Do not offer any additional information after that. They should stop all questioning, but if they don’t, keep repeating that you want a lawyer.
What Else Is at Stake Beyond Jail Time?
A conviction goes beyond a jail sentence or a fine. A felony conviction in Wyoming strips away your right to vote, serve on a jury, or hold public office unless those rights are later restored. Many employers, landlords, and professional licensing boards run background checks that will show a conviction years after your case closes, long after the original sentence is served.
Rogers & Garvie considers these consequences from the very first conversation, not as an afterthought once a plea deal is already on the table, because protecting your record often matters as much as avoiding time behind bars.
What Should You Do in the First 24 Hours After an Arrest?
The decisions made in the hours after an arrest can change everything about your situation. Take these steps as soon as you’re able:
- Say only what is needed to identify yourself, and nothing more, until an attorney is present;
- Write down everything you remember about the arrest while the details are still clear;
- Ask when and where your first court appearance will take place; and
- Contact a criminal defense attorney immediately, before questioning, and certainly before you are released from custody.
Handling these first hours carefully gives your attorney far more to work with once your case formally begins.
Does Every Case Have to End in a Trial?
Most criminal cases in Wyoming resolve without ever reaching a jury, often through a negotiated plea or a dismissal once weaknesses in the State’s evidence come to light. That does not mean every case should end that way, and it does not mean the first offer a prosecutor extends is the best one available.
Rogers & Garvie will always evaluate the strength of the State’s case before advising you on any plea, so the decision to negotiate or push toward trial is based on the actual evidence, not on pressure to resolve things quickly.
A Firm Built to Be Your First Call, Not Your Last Resort
Rogers & Garvie, LLC is a newer firm built by attorneys who are anything but new to criminal defense, with founders Grant Rogers and Thomas Garvie bringing backgrounds in public defense, large-firm practice, and judicial internships to every case that comes through their door. We intentionally keep our firm small so that every client in Laramie and across Wyoming works directly with the attorney they start with.
Rogers & Garvie serves clients throughout Albany, Laramie, and Natrona counties, and offers remote consultations statewide, recognizing that the nearest experienced attorney can sometimes be hours away. Our goal is not to handle one case and disappear. It is to become the firm Wyoming residents call first, whenever they need criminal defense representation.
Don’t Face the Next Step Alone. Call Us Today.
A criminal charge moves fast, and the choices you make right now shape everything that follows. Reach out to Rogers & Garvie today to schedule your confidential consultation, and let Grant and Thomas start working on your behalf immediately.