What to do after an arrest
What Should You Do After Being Arrested or Charged with a Crime in South Carolina?
Stop talking. That is the single most important thing you can do after an arrest. Do not explain yourself to the officers. Do not call someone from the jail phone and describe what happened. Do not post anything on social media. Everything you say from this moment forward can be used to build a case against you.
Exercise your right to remain silent, and contact an attorney. That is the order of operations, and it matters more than most people realize.
The second step is choosing the right attorney. Not the one with the biggest billboard. Not the one who promises an outcome before reviewing a single piece of evidence. The one who will prepare your case, communicate with you honestly, and build the strongest possible defense based on the facts.
That is what Hellams Law is built to do.
WHAT A CRIMINAL CHARGE ACTUALLY COSTS
What a Criminal Charge Actually Costs
A criminal conviction does not just mean potential jail time. It means a permanent record that appears on every background check for the rest of your life. For professionals, it can mean license revocations, career consequences, and lost opportunities that compound over years. Nurses, teachers, CDL holders, law enforcement officers, financial professionals, and anyone whose career depends on a clean record faces consequences that may far exceed the sentence itself.
For parents, a conviction can affect custody and visitation. For non-citizens, it can trigger deportation proceedings. For anyone, it changes how employers, landlords, and institutions evaluate you going forward.
That is why every charge is taken seriously here. A misdemeanor shoplifting case and a murder indictment both carry real consequences for real people with real things on the line.
HOW HELLAMS LAW HANDLES CRIMINAL DEFENSE
How Attorney Will Hellams Handles Criminal Defense Cases
Independent case review.
Attorney Will Hellams does not rely on the prosecution’s version of events. Every case begins with a review of the actual evidence: police reports, body camera footage, witness statements, forensic results, and any physical or digital evidence relevant to the charge. Where evidence was obtained in violation of constitutional rights, it gets challenged.
Pre-trial motions.
Motions to suppress evidence, motions to dismiss, and other pre-trial challenges are where many cases are won or fundamentally changed. Every viable legal challenge is identified early. The Fourth Amendment places strict limits on searches and seizures, and violations of those limits can result in critical evidence being excluded from the prosecution’s case.
Negotiation from preparation.
When negotiation with the solicitor’s office is appropriate, it happens from a position of thorough preparation. Pre-Trial Intervention, Alcohol Education Programs, conditional discharge, reduced charges, and alternative sentencing are all options evaluated when the facts support them. The strongest negotiating position comes from a case that is trial-ready.
Trial readiness.
Every case is prepared as though it is going to trial, because that preparation strengthens your position at every stage. If a case goes to trial, Attorney Will Hellams is ready: clear presentation of the facts, effective cross-examination, and a defense built on the evidence.
PRACTICE AREAS
Cases Hellams Law Handles
Drug offenses.
Possession, distribution, trafficking, and prescription fraud. Constitutional challenges to how evidence was obtained are often the foundation of a strong drug defense. Mandatory minimum sentences make the stakes in trafficking cases especially high.
Domestic violence.
All degrees, from third-degree misdemeanor through DVHAN. These cases carry consequences beyond jail time, including permanent federal firearms prohibitions, custody implications, and immigration consequences for non-citizens.
Murder and serious felonies.
The most serious charges demand the most serious preparation. Independent investigation, qualified experts, and defenses that hold up under demanding scrutiny. Mandatory minimum sentences of thirty years make thorough preparation essential.
White-collar crimes.
Fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, and other financial offenses in state and federal court. Early intervention during the investigation phase can change outcomes significantly.
Assault and battery.
All degrees from third-degree misdemeanor through ABHAN (up to twenty years). Self-defense, lack of intent, misidentification, and other defenses evaluated based on the evidence.
Theft and shoplifting.
Petit larceny, grand larceny, burglary, receiving stolen goods. Theft is classified as a crime of dishonesty, which carries professional consequences for anyone in a position of trust.
Protective orders.
Emergency orders, no-contact orders, and restraining orders. The hearing window is short and the consequences are immediate: restrictions on where you can live, who you can contact, and whether you can possess firearms.
Weapons charges.
Unlawful possession, possession by a prohibited person, and other firearms-related offenses. The legality of the stop, the search, and the seizure are examined in every case.
Why Hellams Law
Attorney Will Hellams focuses his practice on criminal defense in Upstate South Carolina. His background includes a judicial clerkship in the South Carolina 13th Circuit Court, which informs how he reads cases, anticipates procedural issues, and understands how courts approach the matters that come before them.
When you retain Hellams Law, you work directly with Attorney Will Hellams. There is no intake team, no associate handling your file. This is a focused criminal defense practice, and that focus shapes how cases are handled from the first consultation through resolution.