Legal Rights At Mohegan Sun Casino
Any person that is alleged to have committed a crime in violation of the Connecticut general statutes, can be arrested on the Mohegan Sun reservation. For this reason, it is important anyone visiting the Mohegan Sun Casino be familiar with their legal rights and consult with a Mohegan Sun Casino criminal lawyer if necessary. To learn more or discuss whether your rights were violated, call and schedule a consultation today.
Hotel Room Searches
If the police come to one’s hotel room and attempt to ask him or her questions or conduct a search, that individual, similar to if they were at someone’s home, does not have to let them in. With that said, under certain circumstances such as if a search warrant is issued, law enforcement may still be able to complete a search without that individual’s consent.
However, in cases where the police do come in without a warrant, they are going to be held to a higher standard in court if they end up making an arrest or seizing property. It is important for an individual to understand their legal rights at Mohegan Sun Casino when determining the best moves for their case.
Declining a Search
If a person chooses to refuse to let law enforcement enter, it is important to be polite and be respectful but also stand your ground. If they enter regardless, then that person should inform his or her lawyer so that the lawyer can address the legality of the search and the constitutional issues of the search and seizure at the appropriate time.
Rights When Stopped in Person
If a police officer, hotel security, or a casino security guard stops a person in the casino, they do have the right to question that person and detain them. The casino is considered private property of the Mohegan Sun reservation, which gives these agents the right to either question someone or ask them to leave at any time.
Typically if someone is asked to leave, they will be able to cash out any chips before departing. With that said, if any money or chips are seized, it is important to take note of the time so that person can provide the timestamp to his or her lawyer who can pull the surveillance video at the appropriate time in court.
Rights When Stopped Outside on Casino Property
Law enforcement or security has the right to stop people who are still on the premises of the casino whether it be inside or out in the parking lot. The entire property belongs to Mohegan Sun Pequot tribe, which means it is private property and they can stop anyone. Additionally, they do have the right to detain someone, however, there are limits to the amount of time that an individual can be held. All of a person’s rights under Connecticut law, including common law and statutory law, are applicable. It is important for an individual to know these legal rights when dealing with law enforcement at Mohegan Sun Casino.
Determining Cooperation
A few factors can determine if an individual feels as if they should cooperate. If one feels like they have nothing to hide and that person did not do anything wrong, it is important to know that whatever one says to a police officer can be recorded and can be used against them.
If a person is the least bit uncertain about what is going on, then they should call a lawyer before speaking to the tribal police or to any kind of security guard on the premises. A person can always choose to talk at a later point, but it is imperative to be cautious when making any type of written or verbal statement because of the negative impact it can have. In moments such as this, it is crucial that an individual knows their legal rights at Mohegan Sun Casino.
Search of a Vehicle
An individual does not have to consent to the search of their vehicle. There are certain exceptions where the police can search one’s car even if that person does not consent, but they have to be put to a high standard for that. This may occur, in due time, during a court case. The prosecution does have the right to hold one’s vehicle while they go get a warrant, but an individual should not make the job easy for them.
Refusal of Consent
It does not look bad on an individual to not consent to a search. The police will often get suspicious if a person does not consent to a search, but that suspicion alone is often not enough to search someone’s vehicle. It is important to know one’s right and to exercise one’s rights. An individual should not let the police try to guilt or intimidate them into consenting to a search of a vehicle or hotel room.
Attorneys will often see people partying in hotel rooms. Sometimes, other people, not the owner of the room, will bring in drugs or contraband and the owner of the room will not even know it. Whether or not the hotel room owner should be responsible is a job for a lawyer to figure out. The attorney will then be able to work on behalf of the client for the best possible outcome.
Allowing officers to come in and search without a warrant exposes a person to certain problems. Especially if there are people in the individual’s hotel room, who a person is not so familiar with who may be there just for the party. An individual’s legal rights at Mohegan Sun Casino should be expressed in these instances.
Investigation & Arrest Process
The tribal police will investigate, assess whether or not there is enough probable cause to make an arrest and then, if so, will make the arrest, bring the arrested to their police station, and process and put a bond on that person. Just because it is an Indian reservation does not mean that they can hold anyone indefinitely; they must have a bond. A person can call any of the local bondsmen.
They do have to read the Miranda Rights, and they have to provide a person with a document to sign that confirms they have been read their Miranda Rights. Police do not have to give anyone Miranda Rights before they are arrested, just sometime during the arrest process. Anything said before an arrest can be used against the individual as well.
Generally, after any Mohegan Sun arrest, the arrested is generally not allowed to return to the casino. They can be escorted back to their hotel room to retrieve their belongings, but they will not be allowed on casino property. A client should talk to their lawyer to ensure their legal rights are adhered to. Further, they should talk about trying to get a refund for hotel room expenses if the police are asking them to leave before check out time.
Rights in Custody
The first important distinction to make is the difference between being in custody and being detained. Custody is when an arrest has been made and an individual is processed and held on bond. Being detained, on the other hand, is when they still have not decided if they are going to make an arrest yet and are still in the investigation phase.
Importance of an Attorney
During the processing, a person should be asking for an attorney as soon as possible. They authorities will typically allow the individual to call to an attorney as soon as it is practical, who can then inform an individual of their exact legal rights at Mohegan Sun Casino.
This is because asking for a lawyer triggers certain rights, and will stop the police from interrogating anyone. Further, once someone has been booked and processed, they will be fingerprinted, photographed, the arrest will be processed and the person will receive paperwork.
A lot of times, people are nervous and want to cooperate. And, often times, that can backfire on them because they end up giving up too much information that was not necessary and as a result, can make the officer’s case stronger against them. The first thing a person should do when being arrested is to call an experienced Mohegan Sun lawyer.