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Woodbridge Assault Lawyer

An assault is a criminal charge that will be on the record of an individual for the rest of their life if convicted. For that reason, it is critical that to have an attorney in Woodbridge present when facing charges in the area.

There are multiple ways to defend against a case such as assault. A Woodbridge assault lawyer has the experience to handle these cases in a way that charge can possibly be reduced to something that does not reflect an act of violence, which otherwise, could hamper the ability to obtain future goals.

Assault Charges in Woodbridge

An assault is technically defined as placing a person in reasonable fear of an impending battery. Therefore, to be convicted of assault, it is not necessary to touch another person.

For example, if an individual approaches another person and tells that person that they are going to hit them or in any other way harm them physically, that can be considered assault. Assault charges can often be a result of a moment that, for a brief period of time, got out of hand and the

Assault and Related Charges

The first is a class-one misdemeanor known as a simple assault. Simple assault carries up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. When the person is contacted in a physically offensive or harmful way, then battery gets attached to the assault charge.

If, however, the person making the claim of being assaulted is significantly wounded in the assault and battery, the police may choose to charge that person with a felony of unlawful wounding. If a person is wounded and that wound is committed with what is called malice under Virginia law, a person can be charged with malicious wounding.

If the malicious wounding results in a wound that is so severe that the victim suffered a permanent and lasting injury, a person can be charged with aggravated malicious wounding, which can carry a penalty of 20 years to life. A Woodbridge assault attorney will be able to guide an individual facing any of these charges and steer them into making the best decisions in regards to their future.

Assault Charge Effects

There are several reasons for why assault charges are something to be concerned about. As mentioned before, an assault is a charge of violence, which means that if a person is convicted they will have a violent criminal conviction on their record. That is and should be worrisome to people because this will carry a social stigma as well as an employment stigma.

An assault lawyer in Woodbridge understands the disrupting effects that a charge of this nature would have on their client, and will do what is possible in order to prevent such an inconvenience from occurring. A conviction can affect the following aspects of life:

  • Current and future employment
  • Child custody and visitation
  • Educational opportunities
  • Residential opportunities

Law Enforcement and Assualt

If an allegation of an assault is made to a Woodbridge police officer, the officer will fully investigate that to the best of their ability to try and determine whether or not the person making the claim of assault is credible or not. They do this by collecting statements and evidence from all of the parties involved, including the person accused of committing the assault.

At that point, the police officer will make a determination as to whether or not a person should be placed under arrest. It is a troublesome situation that a Woodbridge assault lawyer will look at while constructing a defense. This is because there is a lack of physical evidence, and the officer’s opinion can be put into question in the case of a trial.

In most cases, the police officers who are responding to the call will make a decision on the spot. However, there are other circumstances where a lengthy investigation might be required. Based on the experience of an assault attorney from Woodbridge, it is suggested that the accused individual stays calm and polite, despite how upsetting the current situation may be.

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