“When you stand accused, the scales of justice portray an equal measure of despair and hope. Being falsely accused as I was, I began to wonder if Lady Justice was truly blinded by impartiality as was generally agreed upon. In my case I was beset by a judicial prejudice that was being enforced through the manipulation of our legal system.

Let me begin by explaining that I’m a parolee, and as such am governed, doubly so by a set of parameters that don’t apply to a “normal” citizen when accused. As a parolee if a person chose to do me harm or disrupt my life all that person has to do is create a false report or bogus call to the police. But why would someone want to do this if unprovoked? In my case it was a scorned lover who was living in my home. They say that you don’t truly know someone until you live with them. As true as that may be, even after two years and one separation, the woman I thought I knew turned out to be a complete con-artist, liar, and manipulator. As I began to discover the depth of her duplicity, I in turn, became more distrustful of her. Once I started questioning the suspicious narrative that she’d created for herself I later found out that she’d planned for a long while of how to get rid of me while remaining in possession of all I had worked and sacrificed for.

It became more and more apparent that she was merely biding her time so that when had another row she would execute her well thought out plan. That day unfortunately came in the form of  another argument about her lies. This time however, I was driving.

As soon as she reached over, screaming hysterically and grabbed the steering wheel to deliberately wreck us into another parked vehicle, I knew things would not end well this time.  This was altogether something different. For the first time I truly saw the contempt in her eyes. As I braked and steered with one hand, my other hand was being used to get her to break free of the wheel. At that point I instantly realized how little I meant and how foolish I was to have defended myself against her recklessly endangering us both. I panicked at the implication, told her to get out. This was the last straw. I went home, changed the locks again, and later got arrested on my own front porch.

I was told the reason the reason I went to jail and not her was because I didn’t call the police initially and she did. Hence, her narrative placed my role as the accused. Who would believe me? An ex-con on parole for over three years with no problems, started a successful business, volunteering in my community, and making a good life for myself. These things should have mattered. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

Instead I was beset by judicial manipulation and prejudice because of my paroled status. This enabled my now “ex” to systematically live rent free in my home while given temporary protection (e.g., control) of all my worldly and familial possessions. All of this enabled by hearsay, biased by stereotype and written exclusively in law. I lost everything.

While sitting in jail with no bond eligibility because of my parole status, I was being robbed of all I’d worked for, including my freedom. I needed representation. Someone to not only defend me but to expose the deliberate malicious method being used against me. I would fight this false accusation. I had researched and compiled enough data on my ex’s lies that surely the system would recognize her duplicitous character and prove valiant once represented with the truth.

My family sought counsel and found a local “well known” and veteran lawyer. It was understood from the onset that I was pleading “not guilty” and needed a thorough examination to vindicate me. After all, the charge against me was only a misdemeanor and once the whole picture was put into context, this would all be over shortly.

Unfortunately, I was neither taken seriously nor treated decently by my retained counsel. I couldn’t make sense of this.  My attorney was armed with enough evidence to refute this false accusation proving she had a motive. He had also been paid immediately in full while I was patiently awaiting a trial date sitting in jail. I was innocent and I couldn’t comprehend his utter lack of urgency or sincerity. I languished for 9 months crippled by various resets, sheer incompetence, and a complete lack of concern.

Despair was beginning to set in and I had no remedy. I was left rudderless, so to speak with no foreseeable shore in sight. That is, until a good friend of mine urged me to speak with an attorney by the name of Dan Sanchez.

I’ll admit, I was anxiously timid about accepting any hopeful outlet. However, over time I saw first hand the successful results Mr. Sanchez achieved for his clients. I’d like to mention here that over the last 8-9 months I’d only been able to speak to my previous lawyer one time. Not for lack of trying, but he didn’t accept calls from jail even after paying thousands to represent me. I had felt, up to this point, that all lawyers were the same and just plain crooked based on my initial experience. Mr. Sanchez was an extreme and stark contrast to what I was used to.

After several phone consultations explaining my predicament and the odds set against me, Mr. Sanchez not only agreed to represent me, but became my champion for justice. Finally, I would have the voice I so desperately needed to breach the manipulation of false accusation. He decided to accept this challenge right before Christmas Break. During this time Mr. Sanchez spent countless hours fact checking, questioning witnesses, and relaying all of it to me when I would call. Not to mention the Holiday season, he did more research for my cause in the first week than my previous lawyer performed in half a year.  Mr. Sanchez was fully engaged and genuinely concerned about my plight. He was always available when any concerns or questions arose.

I had a trial date already set for the first Monday after New Year’s Day. I can’t stress enough how fortunate I was to have discovered Dan Sanchez right before this critical time. The short notice did not affect his abilities in the least. In fact, I know he relished the challenge to not only expose the lies of my accuser, but more importantly, stand up for his shackled client.

Dan Sanchez possesses an unrivaled tenacity in a trial court setting. No quarter was given, no issue uncontested. I was finally vindicated and the voice of truth was heard. He brought to light the facts and legality of the proceedings held against me that concluded with a victory for not just myself, but for justice. Due to this man’s legal acumen and sharp mind my case was ultimately dismissed.

When I heard the judge order the court as such, I stood awestruck. We had fought an uphill battle due to stereotype and predisposition. Now I stood up straight able to face society with a posture of exception. All of this I owe to Dan Sanchez, his exceptional ability, and his willingness to champion the common man. Thank you.”

-Robert Ryan Dickinson