In Oregon, felony charges are very serious. They can result in long prison sentences, large fines, probation, permanent criminal records and more. People facing felony charges can feel like they are living in limbo as they await the result of their criminal trial. While facing conviction they can suffer problems in their social life, their reputation can be damaged and they may lose their job. These problems can make it difficult for people to enjoy their life until the matter is settled.
As a result of these consequences some people may wonder if there are time limits to when the prosecution can choose to bring felony charges against someone. According to section 131.125 of the Oregon code, this depends on the type of crime that was supposedly committed.
Under section 131.125(1), prosecutors can choose to bring charges for murder, manslaughter, solicitation to commit aggravated murder, attempted murder or aggravated murder at any time after the incident or the person's death. Therefore, there are no time limits to bringing these charges.
However, under section 131.125, prosecutors must bring charges for other felonies -- with adult victims -- between three and six years. Prosecutors have six years in cases of sex crimes including rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, compelling prostitution and incest. Arson also has a six year time limit. For other felonies, they have three years.
These time limits will change if the victim is a child or elderly and in other special cases. With all of the exceptions listed in the statute, this post cannot provide specific legal advice about a particular situation. A criminal defense attorney, however, may be able to provide more specific information about the statute of limitations for a particular situation.
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