One of the most important things to remember when one is facing a criminal charge in Tennessee is to keep your mouth shut. I often refer to this as my "million dollar advice." I represent  good folks who might have made a error in judgment. So , they were raised to cooperate with the police. even some folks blog about that who have no legal degree. They are wrong. You have no legal duty to cooperate with the police in a criminal investigation.

If you are stopped by the police , you do have to show your ID. Once that is complete , you have no legal obligation to say anything. Remember the old Dragnet show . Anything you say can and will be used against you. Here are some illustrations;

Officer: Have you had anything to drink tonight ?

Accused: I had two beers.

Next thing you are being asked to get out of your car do do some field sobriety tests. The police still don’t tell you you don’t have to do these tests.Once you admit to drinking, they can ask you to get out of the car.

Officer: Someone tells us that you may have child porn on your computer. What to talk to us about it ? Or  Someone is accusing you of touching someone. Want to tell us your side ? We can help you ?

Accused; Sure I want to talk to you without a lawyer present so I can be tricked into confessing.

The Constitution gave you the right not to speak with law enforcement . assert that right.