Maryland laws are separated into numerous categories depending on the type of law. For those who are charged a crime, lawmakers have not exactly made searching for these laws an easy task, as there are criminal laws located within numerous different sections of the code. There are more than 30 sections of the Maryland code, and criminal laws are listed in roughly half of these sections. Thankfully the majority of the criminal laws are logically located in the Criminal Law section. Other sections of the Maryland code that include numerous criminal laws are the Public Safety Code, the Natural Resources Code, the Education Code, the Transportation Code and the Family Law Code. Each code is further broken down into titles and then finally to sections. There may be a few different crimes in each section that are separated by numbers and letters, so it can become a bit confusing. If you have been charged with a crime in Maryland, defense attorney Benjamin Herbst is available to offer a free consultation. Benjamin has successfully defended more than 1,000 clients charged with crimes ranging from shoplifting to murder. He is available 7 days a week to explain your charges and will always offer a free consultation.
Anyone charged with a crime should be able to see the code section on his or her charging document or citation. The code sections are usually abbreviated with the first two letters. So, for example a person facing an assault second degree charge will see CR 3-203. This means the offense is part of the criminal law code, title 3 and section 203. The crimes are available on the internet through the Maryland General Assembly’s website, but unfortunately this website does not have a great search engine. The only way to find the charge you are looking for is to scroll to the exact location. The site will not let you enter keywords and find it for you. The pages in this section of our site are meant to provide an overview of charges that a person may encounter with some added information that you will not find on mgaleg.gov. Please feel free to call Benjamin if you have any questions about your charge.
The crimes listed below apply to state and federal laws. Numerous municipalities in Maryland such as Baltimore City and Ocean City have their own set of ordinances that may result in a criminal charge. The most common municipal infractions include discharging a firearm within city limits and possession of an open container of alcohol. We have seen numerous people cited with discharge of a firearm within the city limits of Baltimore and also within Baltimore County, while most criminal open container of alcohol citations are issued in Ocean City. Municipal codes are easily to find online and are somewhat easy to navigate. Benjamin represents clients facing all civil, criminal and traffic violations in Maryland. Benjamin also defends clients who are charged with federal citations such as possession of a firearm at a federal facility and all types of traffic violations. Federal police officers in some cases have the authority to charge a person for violating a provision of Maryland state law if there is no comparable federal statute. Traffic crimes committed on federal property are usually charged as Maryland state transportation article violations, but federal traffic crimes on federally maintained parkways are charged under the federal code that governs national parks.