North Carolina Indictment Multi-Count

It typically takes 1-3 months in Raleigh for a case to be indicted. Class I felonies are usually dealt with in District Court though. If they are indicting a class I felony, he likely turned down a plea or must have a pretty bad record.

An indictment is a formal accusation against an individual suspected of committing a crime that begins the legal process in criminal law. Indictments are generally only obtained for felony charges. An indictment is used as an alternative to a complaint in a trial court.

The difference between being indicted and charged relies on who files the charges. Being charged with a crime means the prosecutor filed charges. An indictment means the grand jury filed charges against the defendant.

When a person is indicted, they are given formal notice that it is believed that they committed a crime.The grand jury listens to the prosecutor and witnesses, and then votes in secret on whether they believe that enough evidence exists to charge the person with a crime.

The indictment may charge a defendant in separate counts with two (2) or more offenses triable in the same court if the offenses charged - whether felonies, misdemeanors or both - are: (1) based on the same act or transaction; or (2) connected with or constitute parts of a common scheme or plan.

An indictment is most frequently a charge of a serious crime. You may have heard on television legal programs the phrase "on the first count of the indictment," which means that there's more than one charge of a category of crime in the indictment. The word can also be used more informally to mean an accusation.

In cases where someone is charged with multiple counts of the same crime, the judge often has to decide if the convicted defendant will serve the sentence concurrently or consecutively. A concurrent sentence means that time for two or more of the convictions will all be served at once.