Wilton Assault Lawyer

A Connecticut assault charge is something that defendants simply cannot afford to take lightly. A conviction can bring incarceration, financial fines and a range of other detrimental effects, including permanent damage to your online reputation. Allegations of violence directed towards others are prosecuted with vigor in the courts, and there is no room for delay in formulating a defense.

If you have been arrested in Connecticut for Assault, contact a Wilton assault lawyer who stands ready to champion your cause. Be sure to protect yourself by contacting an experienced domestic violence attorney before your first court date.

How is Assault and Battery Defined in Wilton?

There was a time when the crimes of assault and battery in this state were considered to be distinct offenses, and in many parts of the country, this remains the case. However, in this jurisdiction, assault and battery have been effectively merged into a singular offense—Assault—according to Connecticut criminal law statutes.

Assault can take many forms, but in a majority of situations, a conviction cannot be secured unless the prosecution establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused party acted voluntarily with the intent to commit assault and ultimately caused harm or injury to another.

Is it Critical to Prove Intent to Harm?

As any of the best Wilton assault lawyers can explain, a key element of any battery charge is the specific intent to harm someone. However, that is not to say that the person actually harmed in an assault needs to be the same person the accused meant to injure or frighten with the threat of force.

Impact of Public Records

The Wilton Police Department issues press releases of their arrest reports, mug shots, and police blotters. Local online news publications like the Wilton Villager and Wilton Patch publish this information because online police blotter pages are the most visited pages on their websites, and they can sell online advertising on these pages to generate meaningful revenues. However, the problem for people arrested for assault third degree in Wilton is that these online articles—coupled with the ensuing clicks on each article—raises the article’s profile on any Google or Yahoo search of your name, causing you irreparable damage to your online and offline reputations.

Each time someone clicks on your arrest report or reads your online article, your article jumps higher in the search engine rankings until it hits the top of Google page one, making your arrest more visible to future employers, coworkers, neighbors, and family members. Having a Wilton assault attorney by your side will not only protect you against providing self-incriminating answers, but may also help you avoid any excessive conditions of release, such as weekly urine testing and alcohol treatment, psychiatric evaluations, GPS/IPS ankle bracelet monitoring, and even home confinement.

Common Battery Offenses

According to the Connecticut Penal Code, assault crimes are classified by degrees, the assignment of which will turn on the type of facts at issue and the outcomes experienced by victims. A first-degree assault will generally involve the use of a dangerous instrument (knife, bat, gun), the intent to permanently or profoundly destroy or disfigure another person’s body or engagement in the type of reckless conduct that is likely to kill and which produces severe injuries.

What is Second & Third Degree Assault?

A second-degree assault arrest requires that serious injury was in fact inflicted and that there was intent to produce such an injury via the use of a deadly weapon other than a firearm or reckless infliction of injury by using a deadly weapon or by administering a drug without the consent of the injured party.

An arrest for third-degree assault can take place if the police establish probable cause that a defendant intentionally inflicted physical harm on another person, recklessly produced serious injury to another, or engaged in criminally negligent conduct with a deadly weapon resulting in severe injuries.  Wilton assault attorneys have seen this crime frequently charged with domestic violence arrests.

Assault on a Police Officer Charges

Connecticut legislators have also codified a prohibition against causing harm to a law enforcement officer or member of a defined group of personnel charged with keeping the peace and facilitating important public functions. Individuals accused of attacking law enforcement should speak with a Wilton assault lawyer immediately.

It is a criminal offense to cause such an individual physical harm with the intention of preventing them from carrying out any official duty. Individuals covered by this statute include:

  • Department of Corrections officers
  • Judicial branch employees who oversee pretrial juvenile detention
  • Employees of the Department of Children and Families (DCF)
  • Liquor control agents
  • Employees of the public transit system
  • Firefighters
  • EMS personnel
  • Emergency room nurses, doctors, and related individuals

What Are the Possible Penalties?

An assault charge brings with it the possibility of extremely detrimental penalties, which may encompass long-term incarceration, fines stretching into the tens of thousands of dollars, lengthy periods of probation, and more. Those convicted of assaulting pregnant women, blind citizens, intellectually disabled individuals, and prison workers can anticipate tougher sentencing enhancements such as mandatory minimum jail sentences on top of standard penalties. There can be little doubt that the stakes are quite high in each and every assault case that is brought in the state of Connecticut and that a vigorous defense is critical.

Discuss Your Case With a Wilton Assault Attorney Now

The ramifications of an assault conviction are likely to reach well beyond the date of release from formal custody. Job loss, future employment challenges, financial difficulty and online/offline reputational damage are just a few of the negative consequences of being found guilty of an offense in this realm. It is important for a skilled attorney to help the accused explore the possibility of putting forth legal arguments related to self-defense, intoxication, defense of others, or victim consent to fight. In this way, it is possible to pursue reduction or dismissal of charges or at least a mitigation of punishments imposed. Regardless of the facts in question, an assault charge is something that must not go unanswered, given the devastating impact an assault conviction can have. Wilton assault lawyers value a clean criminal record and will do our best to protect your online reputation and fight to have your case dismissed as quickly as possible. Contact our firm today.

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