A domestic violence charge is not a minor charge and it’s something that could definitely be taken as seriously as possible. When a person is arrested and charged with this, they need to find out which charge they’re being accused of and hire a lawyer immediately. The lawyer can help them form a defense to the charges to try to have the charges dismissed, lowered, or have them found not guilty in court. Below are the different charges a person can face depending on the severity of the crime they’re accused of.
The minimum charges are misdemeanors. This can be either a Class A or a Class C. A Class C misdemeanor involves simply making contact with the other person in a threatening way. This can include up to $500 in fines. Although this is the least serious, it still does have long term implications if a person is convicted or pleads guilty. A Class A misdemeanor charge involves bodily injury, but the injury doesn’t have to leave marks. The person just has to feel pain. This comes with up to a year in jail and fines of up to $4,000.
Felony charges are more serious and can mean a person loses some of their basic rights after a conviction, including the right to vote. A third-degree felony is punishable by two to ten years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. In these cases, the person is accused of choking or strangling the victim. Second-degree felony charges occur when there was a deadly weapon used or when the incident resulted in serious bodily injury. This could mean two to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. The most serious charge, a first-degree felony one includes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and serious bodily injury. This is punished by anywhere between five years and life in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
On top of all of these potential penalties, if a person is convicted they will never be allowed to own or possess any firearm. They will also have a conviction on their record which could make it difficult to find a job or a place to live and the consequences could last their entire life, even for a misdemeanor charge. A person facing these charges should contact a lawyer immediately for help with their case.
