Help Rachael get a lawyer

Update: Case continued. Much needed time has been granted.

A friend is on GPS ankle monitor. There are people, who are a danger to the community, who should be and she isn't one of them.

It started when she was falsely accused, by the actual perpetrator, a guy with a record going back to middle school. The local cops are the worst in this part of the state and based on the word of a known criminal they got a warrant and arrested her at her job. Three cops escorted her through the busy lobby full of clients, in handcuffs.

She was charged with stealing a chain saw and ladder from her step father. She didn't take the items and as her step father wrote in a letter, that I read, she had his permission to borrow anything that he kept at the house.

As is common practice, the states attorney offered a deal and she refused to plead guilty to something she didn't do for the first 11 months. Her state paid lawyer kept encouraging her to take probation and told her that since she had never been in trouble before it would be no big deal and she wouldn't have a record. He told her that even being innocent, if she went to court she couldn't prove that she wasn't involved in the theft of her step father's ladder and chain saw. The lawyer, who she thought had her best interest at heart, told her the Judge wouldn't let the state drop the charges. These were all untruths. Never having been arrested before and not being familiar with the "justice" system she believed him. She took the lawyer's advice to "put it behind her" knowing that she had no intention of breaking the law and being arrested to violate probation. The probation came with conditions the lawyer didn't tell her; community service she can't do unless she takes time off from her job and curfew and almost $200 a month in probation costs not counting fines.

Realizing her mistake, she filed, pro se (on her own) to vacate her plea. Then she got a violation of probation. Not arrested but what is called a technical violation for being out after curfew. The Judge, a guy who was a cop for thirty years before going to law school and then a head prosecutor before being appointed Judge, who probably never saw a defendant he didn't think was guilty, convicted her on the charges that she had plead to (taking her step father's ladder and chain saw), a felony, and sentenced her to two years house arrest.

Now she must have a lawyer to effectively argue for her at the hearing to vacate her plea. She can't do it herself. Before it wasn't critical to win at the local level with Judge/retired cop/prosecutor and she could have waited until a appeals court heard the case, Judges are on the up and up on that level, it has become critical she win asap before Judge McNasty (not the old man's real name) sends her to jail.

Oh, why is she on ankle monitor as well as house arrest? For going to work on Thanksgiving and the day after. Her boss faxed her hours in, as required by Probation, but the PO said she hadn't read it or approved it and filed a technical violation. When you are violated for going to work you know the witch with a "B" is out to get you locked up. The attorney costs $2,500 but will take payments if she can give him $1,000. With daycare for her two little children, $200 a week, probation charging her almost $200 a month not counting their money reaping drug tests and fines, and her PO telling her she won't allow her to work overtime and she has to pay $120 a month for the ankle monitor, she can't come up with the down payment. I'm trying to raise $750 this month toward the down payment she needs right away. She just needs a leg up to get the ball rolling. (Update she now only needs $500 more)

(I created this fundraiser some time ago but gogetfunding doesn't go public until it gets to $100 and I only shared it once on facebook. NOW THERE IS A COURT HEARING SCHEDULED THIS WEEK AND SHE NEEDS THE DEPOSIT FOR THE ATTORNEY RIGHT AWAY FOR HIM TO FILE APPEARANCE AND REPRESENT HER FRIDAY. If not enough is raised she will be stuck with the public defender and likely lose. Your donation will only be used for the attorney and if not enough is raised it will be returned through PayPal).