If you are facing charges, it is important to know how seriously Fredericksburg assault enforcement takes these, and contact a local lawyer right away. By doing so, you will ensure that you can prepare the strongest defense possible. While these charges can end in a conviction and negative long term consequences, it is also possible that the charges will be dismissed or the damages mitigated, with the help of an experienced attorney.
While still low-level, it is still a class 1 misdemeanor and so it carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a fine of $2,500.
Beyond the immediate consequences, there are also long term effects of a conviction. Outside of a court of law, normally the first thing one thinks of when they hear the word assault is some savage beating. This is the stigma that comes along with it if a person is convicted of an assault. If anybody sees that, such as a potential future employer, the first thing that pops in their head is that they are dealing with a violent individual, which is not necessarily the case.
Also, when someone commits one of these acts that at a technical level is an assault but it is not what one thinks of when one thinks of an assault, there is the emotional toil that that comes with encountering the criminal justice system. Fredericksburg assault enforcement can be very intimidating. The experience has a lasting effect on people even after the charges are ultimately dismissed.
Normally Fredericksburg law enforcement does not get involved in assault charges. Most assault charges are taken out in the form of criminal complaints because most assaults are misdemeanors and an officer cannot arrest the person for a misdemeanor that did not occur in their presence.
Fredericksburg assault enforcement tends to only get involved when the police are called or something happens and then later on somebody decides to go down to the magistrate office and take out a criminal complaint.
When this happens, the aggrieved party signs the complaint and then the magistrate will issue a warrant. Once that warrant is issued the other party will then ultimately get arrested within 24 to 48 hours.
Then once they are arrested, they will set the matter down for trial and then the police officer just becomes a witness to what happened after the fact but they cannot say much about what happened during the fight because they were not there, so that is going to be the situation for assaults.
In other cases, for instance if a bar fight took place, both parties charge the other with assault and move forward with dueling defense attorneys.
In domestic assault cases and then normally in domestic assaults there are two frequently seen situations. In one scenario, either a married couple or two people who share a child in common, get into a physical altercation. Often, one party lays hands on the other during the incident, and the latter will call the police to stop the fight or to get the former out of the house, not necessarily wanting Fredericksburg assault enforcement to take out a warrant.
However, in domestic assault cases the police are more likely to take out the warrant themselves, using the information they heard as grounds for the arrest of the accused. Once they get the warrant, one of two things will happen: the alerting party will not want to go forward with the charges so they will not come to court or will come to court and forget everything.
The Commonwealth and the courts can force a person to testify, they cannot force the person to remember events, and so when the original caller goes there and does not remember, charges get dropped. Likewise if they do not appear in court. Alternatively, the case may in fact go to trial.
When it comes to Fredericksburg assault enforcement, it is important to understand the viewpoint of the opposition, in this case the prosecution and the courts. In this endeavor, an experienced defense attorney will be invaluable. They will guide and advise you throughout the process, working to achieve the best possible outcome.
Northern Virginia Criminal Defense Group
