What should you do?

Immediately contact an attorney who specializes in cases involving false accusations of abuse.  Make sure that your attorney and investigator have a plan of action.  Some attorneys will do little and recommend a plea bargain.  Your attorney can help you prearrange bail so that you can avoid spending any time at all in jail if arrested.  People accused of abuse are targets for jailhouse beatings.  Do not tell another inmate what you are charged with! 

Under no circumstances should you talk about your case with anyone (police detectives, clergy, doctor, therapist, friends, social workers, state agencies, or parents) until you have retained an attorney.  Your statements to these individuals are not privileged (i.e. confidential).

Do not rely on the police.

In a false allegations of abuse case, do not rely on the police investigation to uncover the facts.  Your only hope of proving your innocence is having a defense investigator discover and protect important defense evidence before it is lost.

If called by the accuser or a family member of the accuser, hang up immediately.  The call may be taped by the police, and any statement you make can be taken out of context and used against you to build a case. 

Use a regular phone when speaking to your attorney and/or investigator.  Portable phones and mobile phones can be monitored.

Be prepared for a search.

Be prepared for a search of your house, car, or even your workplace.  The police most often look for pictures of children, books and magazines with sexual material, sex toys, sex manuals or encyclopedias, diaries, correspondence, or address books.  Address books and correspondence are used to contact anyone you know, including your employer.  They may also look for any private notes on your case that are not clearly marked "Attorney/Client Work Product."

Should your house be searched, you have no right to interfere.  Call your attorney during the search and do not engage in any conversation with the police.