Indianapolis criminal defense · Central Indiana
Stay silent. Get counsel. Protect the next move.
Before answering questions about what happened, invoke your right to remain silent and ask for a lawyer. Sly Law defends criminal matters in Marion, Hamilton, Johnson, Hendricks, Boone, and surrounding Central Indiana counties.
An evaluation is a preliminary fit-and-fee review, not legal advice or an agreement to represent you. For immediate danger or a medical emergency, call 911.
Start with what is happening now
Charges have names. People experience problems. Find the situation that sounds familiar and see what may matter next.
01 / Questioning · Investigation · Search warrant
A detective says you are not under arrest and only wants to ‘clear something up.’ They ask you to come in, unlock your phone, or consent to a search.
Before answering questions about what happened or agreeing to a search, get advice. Custody, Miranda, consent, warrants, and Indiana’s Pirtle rule can require different analysis.
02 / Arrest · Bond · Warrant · Probation
You posted bond, or do not know whether a warrant exists. Conditions, a missed court date, GPS, probation, or a new arrest now control the next move.
Confirm the docket and every condition; do not guess. Counsel can review what exists, what the court may address, and what must happen before the next hearing.
03 / OWI · Drugs · Chemical tests · Vehicle search
A stop leads to field tests, an implied-consent warning, a blood draw, a vehicle search, or drugs allegedly found in a shared space.
The criminal case and driving privileges may move on separate tracks. Video, warrants, testing, possession, and lab evidence can all matter.
04 / Domestic battery · Orders · Children
A police run leads to arrest, removal from home, a protective or no-contact order, and sudden limits on communication with your children.
Follow every order exactly. The charge level, evidence, order terms, and family-court consequences can collide before either case is resolved.
05 / Possession · Pointing · Intimidation · Enhancement
Police claim a gun was possessed, pointed, or used to threaten. The case may turn on legal status, location, words, conduct, prior history, or the search.
Permitless carry is not blanket authorization. Pointing, intimidation, prohibited possession, enhancements, and search issues have different elements.
06 / Investigation · Digital evidence · Sex offenses
A detective calls about a relationship, message, image, encounter, or child-related allegation. You fear arrest, publicity, employment loss, or registration consequences.
Do not contact the reporting person, post, delete material, or ask others to intervene. Preserve the record and obtain advice before speaking.
Other criminal matters Sly Law evaluates
This grouped directory describes matters the firm may evaluate, subject to conflicts, case fit, current law, and a written engagement. It is not a specialist claim or a promise of acceptance.
Murder; voluntary and involuntary manslaughter; reckless and negligent homicide; assisting suicide; battery; strangulation; criminal recklessness; intimidation; stalking; harassment; and interference with reporting.
Domestic battery; invasion of privacy; protective-order and no-contact allegations; neglect of a dependent; and interference with custody.
Rape; child molesting; sexual battery; sexual misconduct with a minor; child exploitation and child sex abuse material; and registration allegations.
Serious violent felon (SVF) and other prohibited-possession allegations; unlawful carrying where restrictions apply; pointing; intimidation; criminal recklessness; machine-gun allegations; and firearm enhancements.
Possession and dealing allegations involving cocaine, narcotics, methamphetamine, controlled substances, or marijuana; maintaining a common nuisance; and paraphernalia.
OWI; alcohol-concentration charges; endangerment and prior-history enhancements; refusal and license issues; habitual traffic violator matters; and related driving offenses.
Theft; conversion; burglary; robbery; auto theft and receiving stolen auto parts; criminal mischief; and related property offenses.
Resisting law enforcement; obstruction; false informing; escape; failure to appear; probation; community corrections; warrants; and alleged condition violations.
Appeals; post-conviction review; sentence modification; probation issues; and expungement screening, with deadlines and eligibility reviewed separately.
Faith · evidence · lawful process
“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”Matthew 7:17 · KJV
Scripture teaches that the quality of the source matters. Criminal procedure asks a related question: did the government obtain the evidence lawfully?
Evidence obtained directly or derivatively from an unlawful search or seizure may sometimes be excluded. Lawyers call derivative evidence fruit of the poisonous tree. Exclusion is not automatic; the constitutional basis, connection between events, attenuation, and other limitations or exceptions must be analyzed.
Personal perspective
More than twenty years ago, I was arrested and photographed. That experience showed me how quickly an accusation can overshadow the person behind it. It does not make my experience the same as yours; every matter is different. It is one reason I listen carefully and approach defense work with respect for the stakes.
No lawyer can promise an outcome. My commitment, if I accept a case, is careful preparation, candid advice, and serious advocacy.
“The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”Oscar Wilde · A Woman of No Importance
Fathers · families · two courts
A domestic-battery arrest, police report, protective order, no-contact order, firearm restriction, or bond condition can quickly affect parenting time, custody arguments, access to the home, and communication with your children.
Only the court can modify an order. Do not make direct or indirect contact, even if the protected person invites it, unless a written court order permits it. Representation in one proceeding does not automatically include another; coordinated criminal and family-law advice may be needed.
What working with Sly Law looks like
Identify active questioning, orders, warrants, court dates, detention, and what must not happen next.
Organize what the State claims, what the record actually shows, what is missing, and what needs investigation.
Evaluate lawful challenges, negotiations, motion practice, trial preparation, and consequences beyond the charge.
Use firm-approved communication channels, understand the plan, and know what Sly Law needs from you.
When an engagement step is ready, Sly Law provides the applicable document, payment, access, and communication instructions directly. Current clients should rely only on firm-approved instructions and the urgent-contact expectations stated in their engagement materials.
Criminal defense questions
Before discussing the facts, clearly say that you are invoking your right to remain silent and want a lawyer. Do not lie, resist, interfere, or destroy evidence, and follow lawful commands. Identifying yourself or handling an immediate safety instruction is different from answering investigative questions about what happened.
A voluntary conversation can still produce statements that matter later. Ask whether you are free to leave, do not consent to an interview about the facts, and contact counsel before deciding whether any response should be made.
It can. A police report, domestic-battery allegation, protective order, no-contact order, firearm restriction, or bond condition may overlap with a family-law case. Follow every existing order and seek advice quickly about lawful options in both courts.
Sly Law is based in Indianapolis and handles criminal matters in Marion County, Hamilton County, and surrounding Indiana counties, subject to conflict clearance, case fit, scheduling, and a written engagement agreement.
No. An arrest or charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt. The State must prove its case under the governing burden, and the defense can investigate the evidence, procedure, witnesses, and available legal challenges.
Make the next move
Keep the first contact brief: your name, callback number, county, general type of charge, custody status, and next known court date. Do not send facts, evidence, documents, passwords, or a child’s private information.
Contacting Sly Law does not by itself establish an attorney-client relationship or deadline monitoring, and it does not guarantee a response or representation. Sly Law will notify you in writing if it accepts an engagement; nothing here changes any relationship applicable law may recognize from the parties' conduct. Sly Law handles information received about possible representation under applicable professional duties. Limiting the first contact protects you and the conflict-review process.