Annapolis Assault Lawyer

Assault is a very serious crime of violence in Maryland that often carries a number of short and long term consequences for a conviction. As a result, it is important that anyone charged with assault contact an Annapolis assault lawyer with experience defending these kinds of offenses. Whether the charge is misdemeanor assault, which is assault in the second degree, or felony assault, which is assault in the first degree, a defense attorney can help identify defenses like mutual affray or self-defense, which might help their client get out of this very serious situation that may otherwise carry significant amounts of jail time.

Elements of Assault

Assault, which is the same thing as battery under state law, is any physical touching of another person that is not consented to, whether it is minor or major. Assault can be something as minor as a push, or as serious as firing a gunshot at somebody, or stabbing them with a knife. Any number of types of physical touching can be considered assault and warrant the attention of an assault attorney in Annapolis.

Assault in Maryland can also be described as a physical threat against another person. An unconsented touching does not have to actually take place for there to be assault charges. Somebody who attempts to swing a bat at another person or threatens them with a knife could be found guilty of assault. Even simply threatening physical violence against another may also be considered assault.

Unique Aspects of These Charges

When clients think about other kinds of cases like shoplifting, theft, or driving under the influence, they usually think of those crimes as non-violent. They recognize that a charge of assault is something that is more serious because it involves some kind of physical touching, hitting of another person, or a threat of physically hitting another person. For that reason, an assault charge is something that gets a person’s attention and makes them feel that the charge is more significant or more serious than other matters.

Severity of Assault Offenses

Assault crimes are treated very seriously by law enforcement officers because they are considered crimes of violence. It is important for people to remember that criminal charges are usually categorized into violent or non-violent offenses. Violent offenses are always treated more seriously than non-violent offenses because the physical safety of people, the community, and the police is the number one priority. This attitude towards assault charges means there will likely be a serious and aggressive prosecution, which will warrant working with an equally aggressive Annapolis assault attorney who understands these charges and their defenses.

Call an Annapolis Assault Attorney for Help

Usually, law enforcement officers do not conduct a long investigations for assault-related charges. That is because typically when a person is charged with assault, law enforcement officers view the particular circumstances immediately after an incident takes place. Officers are called to the scene of the assault or somebody comes to the police station shortly after they were assaulted and the officers have enough probable cause to place a person under arrest.

Other cases might involve more lengthy investigations, for example, where somebody is alleged to have committed a fraud and officers and detectives are reviewing bank records and other evidence to determine whether a fraud actually took place. When it comes to assault charges, usually that information is something that is known to the officers shortly after an event takes place and charges follow without significant investigation. This makes it important an Annapolis assault lawyer is contacted. Reach out to our firm today to learn more.