Defending Greenwich Assault on an Officer Charges
If you were charged with assaulting an officer, you should not try to handle the case yourself. Defending Greenwich assault on an officer charges is a task best left to a top criminal defense attorney. A lawyer understands the tactics a prosecutor may use to convict you, and the could craft a defense strategy tailored to your case. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.
Elements of Assault on an Officer in Connecticut
To secure a conviction for assault on an officer, prosecutors must prove the intent, the action, and the result. Intent means the defendant meant to cause injury or serious bodily harm. Action means the accused did something to accomplish the result of actual bodily harm or serious bodily harm. Finally, they have to prove is that it was actually the police officer in the performance of the police officer’s duties.
To prove these elements, they will use evidence such as:
- Witness statements
- Video and audio recordings
- Physical evidence to show the injury
- Photographs
- Medical documentation
What Is The Impact of Police Body Cameras?
Body cameras could make it easier for the prosecutor to prove assault or it could potentially exonerate the defendant. It shows the circumstances exactly as they are, so the body cam evidence may actually help defendants more than it hurts them. If the person very clearly committed an assault, then they were going to probably be found guilty and subjected to a very severe punishment regardless of whether there was a body cam.
On the other hand, the body cam could be used to negate one of the essential elements like intent. For example, it could show that the person accidentally hit the officer. The body cam may show very clearly that the person charged with an assault of an officer was not taking an action that was intended to hurt the officer or even hit him. Body camera evidence could be essential for defending Greenwich assault on an officer charges.
Are There Any Mitigating Factors in an Assault on an Officer Case?
When building a defense, a criminal lawyer will want to know the reason for the assault, what the defendant was trying to accomplish when they struck the officer, and the type of bodily injury that was suffered by the officer. The mitigating circumstances that attorneys look for are the defendant’s good character in general. They could attempt to show that this was really an out-of-character moment for the person involved. To show that it is an out-of-character moment, a defense attorney may look at the person’s life in general.
They could also argue that the accused was under the influence of some kind of intoxicating elements like alcohol or drugs, which will help explain to the court that this was not something that is a product of who the person is in general. The defendant could have been overcome and unable to control their actions because of the intoxicating elements, and so that can potentially mitigate the circumstances to some degree.
Call an Experienced Assault Attorney in Greenwich
If you face allegations of assaulting a police officer, you should seek legal advice from a knowledgeable criminal lawyer. As the best CT attorneys know, assault on a police officer charges are taken very seriously and defendants could face jail time. For help defending Greenwich assault on an officer charges, talk to a skilled lawyer today.