Of course it is. The police aren't the sole decision maker in the process, but as a rule if they don't think you did it you won't get arrested. Conversely if they think they can prove you did it you probably will end up getting arrested.
>Again, your word cannot exonerate you but it can absolutely get you charged or even convicted.
Sure it can. Juries and the police are fallible and can be swayed by a convincing performance. Jeffrey Dahmer, as an infamous example, managed to get the police to return one of his drugged victims by convincing them he was drunk and it was a lovers quarrel.
Every assertion you make to police opens you up to being prosecuted for completely separate crimes, including lying to the police, depending on what other information they already have (correct or incorrect).
Take the advice that every cop, every attorney takes and also gives to their kids: don’t talk to the police. Just get an attorney.
(A wild scenario of police catching someone in the act of a crime is not only not what we are talking about, but that individual was not exonerated.)
Never, ever agree to be interviewed by police without your attorney. There is no reason not to have someone who knows the game play for you. You have no clue what the police know or think they know already and your innocuous answer about something that seems unrelated may seem to confirm some wrong information they already have.
Again, your word cannot exonerate you but it can absolutely get you charged or even convicted.