Protective Order Violations in Ridgefield
In order to effectively contest alleged protective order violations in Ridgefield, you may need help from a qualified attorney who has handled these kinds of situations effectively in the past and can help you protect your reputation and your future.
What Are The Consequences If I Violate a Protective Order?
Violating a protective order is not just a procedural matter—it is a criminal offense with a specific definition under state law. According to Connecticut General Statutes §53a-223, criminal violation of a protective order is generally a class D felony offense, which means that a conviction for this offense alone could result in up to five years of imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
Protective order violations are even more serious if they allegedly involved the defendant restraining, threatening, harassing, or assaulting the protected party in any way. In this scenario, this offense is considered a class C felony, meaning that maximum penalties increase to 10 years of imprisonment and $10,000 in fines.
Most importantly, these sanctions do not replace the domestic violence charge that warranted the protective order in the first place, but instead are added onto that original charge. In other words, a person accused of violating a protective order could wind up facing felony charges even if their original domestic violence offense was just a minor misdemeanor. To learn more about common domestic violence charges, click here. Given the severity of these potential consequences, it can be crucial to seek counsel from a Ridgefield attorney as soon as possible after being accused of a protective order violation.
What Behaviors Constitute Protective Order Violations?
Anyone who violates the term of a protective order in any way—even if it involves a single text message asking a pertinent question or a mass email accidentally sent to the protected party—could be construed as a violation and a felony criminal offense. Additionally, protected parties can never be charged with a protective order violation, even if they were the ones who initiated contact or encouraged the subject of the order to violate it.
That being said, being able to prove that a protective order violation was inadvertent and not intended as harassment can be very helpful to a legal defense strategy. When contesting protective order violation allegations in Ridgefield, experienced lawyers often first challenge the notion that the alleged violation occurred at all, and then focus on what evidence—if any—indicates that the defendant violated the order intentionally, knowingly, and without being tricked into doing so.
A Ridgefield Attorney Could Help with Protective Order Violation Allegations
Contesting allegations of protective order violations in Ridgefield is often much easier with guidance and support from a legal representative. Let a domestic violence attorney help you get through this kind of situation today. You can read over three-hundred satisfied client reviews at Avvo.com to learn just how a domestic violence attorney can help.