I known of three cases involving decent people who
nearly went to jail for crimes they did not commit. You have to be
careful who you associate with and let into your circle. In the
first case, a young man in his early twenties was in a car with a
group of friends. He was just hanging out with his friends as many
people do. However, one of his friends, the one driving the car,
didn't tell him he was going to make a stop at a post office to pick
up something in the mail that he had illegally shipped to him. The
government had already intercepted the illegal contents of the
package (drugs) and was waiting for him to pick it up at the post
office to lock him up. He and everyone in the car, including some of
his friends who had done nothing wrong, were arrested. It set off a
legal mess their parents had to spend legal fees to get them out of.
Then there's another case of a young man whose
friend called him up to go for a ride in his new car. He didn't
bother to tell the young man the car was stolen. He picked him and
other friends up for a ride in his new car. Police stopped them and
ordered them out of the stolen car. Two ran and got away (for a
time) including the boy who had stolen the car. However, two were
caught. Both of them were innocent. Their parents had to pay legal
fees to sort the mess out and free them.
In a second case, a girl fell in love with a guy.
While on a date with her on the beach, he decided to rob a tourist.
The robbery went wrong, a struggle ensued and he ended up killing
the tourist. He was arrested and so was his innocent girlfriend, who
was freaked out and in shock by what he had just done. Though she
had nothing to do with the crime, the police arrested him and his
girlfriend as well, which is standard in serious cases to ensure no
one gets away. Her parent had to get a lawyer to get her out of
legal charges, to prove she had done nothing wrong. She was later
freed.
These situations can happen to anyone. Be careful of
getting into situations that are seemingly innocent, but can bring
you harm and disrepute, for things you have not done. It's not
always easy to tell as some situations seem innocuous on the
surface, nonetheless, be careful. Being at the wrong place at the
wrong time has gotten many innocent people into trouble. There are
people currently in jail affirming they are innocent of the crimes
they were incarcerated for, but no one will listen. However, if you
are locked up for a crime you did not commit, do not give up on
having your conviction overturned. DNA and later discredited
witnesses have been successfully cited in cases freeing innocent
people.
