Westport Domestic Violence Arrests Lawyer

Being aware of your legal rights and obligations is crucial to obtaining a favorable outcome in your case, as is retaining a top domestic violence attorney. Once hired, a Westport domestic violence arrests lawyer can help you understand the nature of the charges against you and work tirelessly to protect your rights and best interests throughout your entire case.

What Are Grounds for Domestic Violence Arrests?

As a skilled attorney can attest, the most common rationale law enforcement officers use to arrest someone for domestic violence in Westport is an allegation of disorderly conduct. As per Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) §53a-182, domestic violence disorderly conduct can entail a number of different actions, including but not limited to starting a fight in public, being unreasonably loud, and annoying or interfering with a family or household member through aggressive or offensive conduct.

What Happens if a Family Member Was Harmed?

If someone causes physical harm to a family member, spouse, housemate, or roommate, they may be arrested for domestic assault. Most such cases fall within the purview of third-degree criminal assault, which C.G.S. §53a-61 defines as a class A misdemeanor, but higher degrees of domestic assault would be prosecuted as felonies of increasing severity.

Can Endangering a Child Lead to an Arrest?

Endangering a child by depriving them of basic necessities, putting them in an unreasonably dangerous situation, or leaving them unsupervised in a public place or motor vehicle may result in arrest for domestic violence under C.G.S. §§53-20, 53-21, and 53-21a, respectively. A Westport domestic violence arrests attorney can help you on any of the grounds mentioned above, as well as with cases stemming from other grounds for arrests listed in the aforementioned statutes.

What Are the Potential Consequences Following a Domestic Violence Arrest?

The criminal penalties a person in Westport may face after being arrested for domestic violence depend heavily on the classification of the offense they are arrested for, and sometimes on the representation their attorney provides. Misdemeanor crimes are punished by no more than a $500 fine and up to one year in jail, whereas one year is the minimum prison sentence allowable for felony convictions. Maximum felony sentences may range in length up to 25 years for a class A felony like domestic assault of a pregnant that causes the termination of their pregnancy.

Are There Social Consequences for an Arrest?

In addition to criminal sanctions, those convicted of—or in some cases, even just arrested for—domestic violence offenses may be investigated by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, which could result in loss of custody of children if the DCF believes they are at risk of harm in the future. In the same vein, domestic violence arrests almost always result in at least a temporary restraining order being put in place against the arrested party, which varies in severity depending on the alleged offense and can be extended at a court’s discretion.

Learn More from a Westport Domestic Violence Arrests Attorney

You deserve strong legal representation after any kind of arrest, including those associated with domestic violence. To talk to a Westport domestic violence arrests lawyer about your legal options, call Mark Sherman Law today.

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