You should have an experienced attorney by your side if you are facing a criminal charge. Especially when charged with an assault in Houston, your lawyer can aptly deal with the prosecutor.
Assault charges carry heavy fines and severe imprisonment. They can help you navigate the trial without having to admit to the allegations.
Here’s why hiring a Houston Assault Lawyer is crucial:
You cannot talk your way out of the charges
Even if you think you have a just reason for acting that way, the authorities may not agree. The prosecutor will use their years of experience and knowledge to get you convicted.
Moreover, anything you say to the police or opposing lawyer can be used against you. Even if you exhibit an inclination of admission of guilt, it could lead to your defeat. Your version may not be what the court considers true.
This situation is particularly damaging to you when the police lack ample evidence or witnesses. What you say may be self-incriminating and sufficient to make their case.
Lawyering up will help you get acquitted
Getting legal assistance is your constitutional right, and it improves your chances of a not-guilty verdict.
Your assault attorney understands the ins and outs of the legal system. They are familiar with court proceedings and know when to file which paperwork.
More importantly, they know the best legal strategies to apply when arguing against the prosecutor. If you are actually guilty, they can try to get a lesser sentence or justify your view to the judge and jury. When a case is unwinnable, they can suggest a plea deal or enter other programs, such as pre-trial interventions.
You don’t know the different types of assault charges
Houston assault law is vast, and as a layperson, you cannot know every aspect.
You may assault charges in Houston if you:
- Cause bodily injury to someone, knowingly, recklessly, or intentionally
- Threaten another person so that they would fear for their safety
- Come into physical contact with others that can be perceived as offensive or provocative.
There are different types of assault charges, with varying penalties:
Simple assault: When there is no physical harm, but just provocation.
Aggravated assault: It is a simple assault, where you cause severe bodily injury to the victim. You face the charges if a deadly weapon is involved during the commission of the simple assault.
Example: Recently, a woman from Dunlap Street, Houston, faced aggravated assault charges for injuring her child. While arguing with her husband, she pulled out a gun, shot him, but missed and hurt her son. This is an aggravated assault on a family member.
Assault with a deadly weapon: If you use firearms, knives, explosives, clubs, etc., during an assault.
Assault against a public servant: When the victim of the assault is a public official, such as a juror or government agent.
Domestic violence assault: In Houston and all over the state of Texas, domestic violence assault victims are family members, roommates, or current or ex-partners.
You shouldn’t risk your future
Criminal charges like assault can stay on your record permanently. Depending on your circumstances and first or second offense, Houston assault charges can be a felony or misdemeanor. If the victim is a pregnant woman, security personnel, or others, it is a third-degree felony.
If you are convicted, you can lose your financial standing and disrupt your personal life. You may struggle to find employment in the Houston area or get a loan. Your criminal defense attorney can fight the assault charge and secure your future.
In some cases, you can get away with probation, community service, or other lesser punishment. In the case of deferred adjudication, your charges will remain out of public records.
Just because you got arrested for assault, it doesn’t mean you are guilty. You could be facing mitigating circumstances during that time, or you acted in self-defense. With the help of your Houston Assault Lawyer, you will be accurately represented.
