Hiring a Criminal Lawyer for Mohegan Sun Casino Arrests
The Mohegan Sun Casino is located on Mohegan Tribe land and is legally separate from both the state of Connecticut and the United States as a whole, but that does not mean that criminal offenses committed on casino property are not harshly prosecuted by the State of Connecticut. If you are facing criminal charges of any kind stemming from a stay at the Mohegan Sun Casino, seeking help from a lawyer is vital to proactively handling your case and minimizing the potential consequences.
How Mohegan Tribal Police Work With State Law Enforcement
The Mohegan Sun Casino is located entirely within the federally recognized Mohegan Reservation and operated by the sovereign nation of the Mohegan Tribe, which means that—as is the case with most other Native American reservations across North America—only federal and tribal laws apply to tribe members on reservation land. However, given the location of the Mohegan reservation and the fact that many Connecticut residents visit the casino daily, there is a substantial amount of cooperation and reciprocity between tribal police and Connecticut law enforcement authorities when it comes to crimes committed on casino property.
In keeping with a memorandum of agreement established in 2014, tribal police typically handle minor offenses at the Mohegan Sun Casino on a day-to-day basis and provide information to Connecticut police about offenses committed by Connecticut residents there. In addition, the state of Connecticut also maintains state troopers on tribal land and particularly within state-regulated gaming areas, who can and usually do step in to handle major state felony offenses.
Mohegan Tribal Police officers also receive training and certification from the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council, and both tribal and state police share records of previous offenses committed on tribal and/or state land by casino visitors. Put simply, the legal distinctions between the Mohegan Reservation and the State of Connecticut have no practical effect on how the Connecticut Penal Code may be enforced and how criminal offenses may be prosecuted, as a criminal attorney can further explain after a Mohegan Sun Casino arrest.
Dealing With Common Charges at the Mohegan Sun
The Connecticut Penal Code separates criminal offenses into “misdemeanors” and “felonies” depending on their perceived severity, and then further subcategorizes offenses into “classes,” which indicate different maximum—and sometimes minimum—sanctions that may be imposed on a convicted defendant. Some of the more common charges that casino visitors find themselves dealing with include:
- Physical Assault;
- Threatening;
- Reckless Endangerment;
- Sexual Assault;
- Prostitution, as well as related offenses like Solicitation or Promotion of Prostitution;
- Criminal Trespass;
- Larceny;
- Disorderly Conduct;
- Stalking;
- Harassment;
- Possession of Child Pornography; and/or
- Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.
A qualified defense lawyer can help construct a comprehensive defense strategy against these or any other offenses that allegedly occurred at the Mohegan Sun Casino.
Fighting Your Mohegan Sun Arrest with Digital Surveillance Evidence
One additional consideration you and your top attorney should consider is the fact that almost everything inside and outside the Mohegan Sun casino is recorded by the “eye in the sky”: the state-of-the-art video and audio surveillance system which Tribal Police can preserve and submit to the Norwich and New London criminal courts. This can be a blessing and a curse, as video images do not lie, and can either vindicate you or, on the other hand, hurt your case. So be sure to ask your criminal lawyer whether you want to subpoena the video surveillance recordings from your stay at the Mohegan Sun Casino.
Mohegan Sun Arrests for DUI / DWI
While Mohegan Sun Tribal Police arrests for DUI / DWI are usually relegated to casino grounds and parking lots, you should know that Norwich and Uncasville Connecticut police also regularly set up DWI / DUI checkpoints right on the border of casino property. Their mission is well intentioned—to keep the roads safe from drunk drivers leaving the Mohegan Sun Casino. But as someone who does not want to get arrested for DUI / DWI leaving Mohegan Sun, you should be prepared for what will happen at a Mohegan Sun traffic stop. You will be asked for your license and registration. Next you will be asked to perform field sobriety tests. Then, if you are arrested, you will be asked to submit to a breath test. Before taking the test, you will have a chance to contact a DUI / DWI criminal lawyer to help you after your Mohegan Sun Casino arrest. Use that opportunity and call them. Click here fore more information on first offenses for DUI. The penalties for repeat DUI / DWI offenders in Connecticut are much more serious, so click here to learn more about fighting Connecticut repeat offender DUI / DWI arrests.
Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney After an Arrest at the Mohegan Sun Casino
Contesting criminal charges is never a simple process with a single one-size-fits-all solution, and that is especially true for charges stemming from an alleged incident on tribal property. Fortunately, you have help available from knowledgeable legal professionals with years of experience handling cases like yours effectively. Call the Law Offices of Mark Sherman today to learn how a criminal lawyer could assist you after an arrest at the Mohegan Sun Casino, and click here to read what our previous clients have said about working with us.