Are you being charged with assault family violence? Do you understand the repercussions if you are found guilty, or even if you take a deferred plea deal? Any plea to a family violence case can affect you for the rest of your life. You will never hunt, own or possess a gun again. You may lose access to your home and children. You may lose your job and the ability to get a professional license from the State. Do not plead guilty to family violence. Call our office so we can help.
What if the Victim Wants to Drop Charges?In many cases, the complaining witness, or victim, wants the charges dropped. They may even call the police or prosecutor and file an affidavit of non-prosecution (AONP). Once the police are involved, the victim has no right to dismiss the case or stop the prosecution from going forward. And in Kaufman County, prosecutors will not dismiss a case just because there is an affidavit of non-prosecution. AONPs can help you get a better result, and we get many family violence cases dismissed, but it’s not as simple as just filling the AONP.
What if It’s “Just a Ticket?”Some family violence cases are class C misdemeanors. Those are called “assault by contact - family violence” and will be filed in local ticket courts like JP2 or Forney Municipal Court. Most class C misdemeanors are not that big of a deal. Things like speeding tickets or not using a seatbelt are class C misdemeanors. However, just because your family violence case is a ticket doesn’t mean the consequences of being found guilty don’t apply. They still do. Many defendants plead no contest at the Forney jail and think they are making bail, but they have actually been convicted and paid the fine. If that happens, you must call us immediately, as soon as you get out of jail. We have a very limited window to try and overturn a ticket plea. If you want too long we can never challenge your plea, and you will be convicted forever.
Bond Conditions and Protective OrdersOnce you make bail on a family violence case, you will be handed bond conditions or a protective order. The protective order or bond conditions may forbid you from going back to your residence or even talking to your family. These are very difficult to modify, but we will review them with you to see if we have any options. Sometimes it is just better to wait until the protective order expires. Do not violate a protective order, that is a new criminal offense. Do not violate your bond conditions. That will lead to you getting arrested as well.
What if the Victim Calls Me and Asks Me to Come Home?You can not violate a protective order. Even if the victim calls you and asks you to come home, if the protective order says you can’t go to the residence, then you can’t go.
Our team of Forney Family Violence Defense Lawyers has decades of experience helping people facing criminal charges in Kaufman County. We have four former felony prosecutors and the highest rated criminal defense team in Kaufman County. If you are facing a criminal case in Forney, or Kaufman County, call us today.