Criminal Complaints
In a Kansas criminal case, the complaint is the formal document that charges you with a crime. The questions below explain what a complaint is for, what information it must include, and who decides to charge a suspect in the first place. They also cover how a complaint can be amended after it's filed, whether the state can add witnesses later, and what happens when a complaint leaves out elements of the crime or contains an error. A criminal defense attorney can review the complaint in your case for problems that affect your defense.
Questions About Criminal Case Complaint
CAN THE STATE ADD WITNESSES TO THE COMPLAINT AFTER IS FILED?CAN THE STATE AMEND OR MODIFY THE LANGUAGE ON A COMPLAINT?CAN THE STATE INTENTIONALLY WAIT BEFORE LISTING ADDITIONAL WITNESSES ON THE COMPLAINT?IF THE STATE DOESN'T LIST A WITNESS ON THE COMPLAINT DO THEY GET TO TESTIFY?HOW SPECIFIC DOES THE COMPLAINT HAVE TO BE WHEN DESCRIBING THE TIME THE CRIME OCCURRED?IS THE DEFENDANT ENTITLED TO A HEARING BEFORE A COMPLAINT CAN BE AMENDED/MODIFIED?WHO MAKES THE DECISION TO CHARGE A SUSPECT WITH A CRIME?WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE COMPLAINT IN A CRIMINAL CASE?WHAT ARE THE WAYS A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT CAN BE CHANGED AFTER IT HAS BEEN FILED?WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COMPLAINT FAILS TO HAVE ALL THE ELEMENTS OF THE CRIME LISTED?WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COMPLAINT YOU WERE CONVICTED UNDER WAS LATER FOUND TO HAVE AN ERROR?WHAT INFORMATION MUST BE IN A COMPLAINT?WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COMPLAINT DOESN'T STATE THAT A CRIME WAS COMMITTED?WHY DOES THE STATE HAVE TO PUT THE NAMES OF ITS WITNESSES ON THE COMPLAINT?