My friend was stopped on his way home from his surveying job. He had been in the field and as usual had his gun because he works in wood and overgrown areas so he takes it with him for protection. While on the job he was working by a river that I guess is an area used by people to go and do drugs. He found what he thought was a pipe (he is always finding things while he surveys) it had some kind of brown stuff in it and he tried to shake it out. He showed it to the other guys working with him and then he stuck it in his pocket. On the way home the police stopped him while he was driving. He had taken the pipe out of his pocket and put it beside him in the car. The police saw the pipe and then searched his car. The found the gun also. The arrested him and charged him with possession (there was trace drugs found in the pipe). They also charged him with having the gun ( it was not concealed). He does not have the money (surveying is not good business right now) to hire a lawyer and the public defender is in charge of his case. The public defender has given him no advice and will barely talk to him except to ask him if wants to plea. They did not do a drug test and he only touched the pipe with his hands. He feels is being railroaded and he cannot afford to pay his bills right now much less pay a fine or for a lawyer. Do you have any advice? This is wrong and he is being treated as if he is guilty not innocent even by the defense attorney. What should he do? He is very upset and feels like he doen't have any choices.
