Have you been accused of or charged with assault and battery in Summit County? The consequences of a conviction could have a devastating impact on your life.
Take action to defend yourself and clear your name of the charges against you when you contact an experienced Akron assault & battery lawyer at Erb Legal. Schedule your confidential consultation in Summit County today when you call our office at 330-249-1778.
Wesley is regarded as one of the fiercest defense attorneys in Northeast Ohio.
View Firm AwardsUnder Ohio law, you can be charged with assault and battery when you knowingly cause physical harm to someone else or their child or recklessly cause serious bodily injury to someone else or their unborn child.
Assault and battery charges can be misdemeanors or felonies depending on various factors, including your criminal history, whether there was a deadly weapon used, the severity of the victim’s injuries, and others.
If convicted of assault in Summit County, the consequences you can face can vary depending on the type of assault charge you are facing. For example, if you were charged with misdemeanor assault, you could spend up to 180 days in jail and pay fines as high as $1,000.
However, if you were charged with assault against a functionally impaired person, you could be charged with a fourth-degree felony which is punishable by a prison term of as much as 18 months and fines as high as $5,000.
If the alleged victim in your case was pregnant, your prison term and fines could be increased considerably. But these are not the only consequences you can face. In addition to the criminal repercussions of an assault conviction, you can also deal with many other penalties, including:
If you hope to avoid the fallout from an assault conviction in Akron, it is important to get an experienced criminal defender working on your defense strategy as soon as possible.
Other types of criminal charges can coincide with your assault charges, such as:
If you are accused of committing any of the previously mentioned crimes in addition to the assault charge, the consequences you face could dramatically worsen. Whether your incident was handled by Akron city police or the Summit County Sheriff’s office, working with an experienced Akron assault attorney may be the best way to dodge the consequences of a guilty verdict.
The state’s prosecutor will need to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to obtain a conviction for assault in Akron. By presenting a powerful defense strategy, you may be able to clear your name. In many cases, the accused may be able to work out a plea agreement with the prosecuting attorney.
You may be able to enter a pretrial diversion program by pleading guilty or no contest to the charges against you. Once you complete the terms of your pretrial diversion program, the charges against you will be reduced or dismissed.
However, pretrial diversion programs are often only available to first-time, non-violent offenders. If you are not eligible for a pretrial diversion program, your best option may be to present a robust defense. Some of the more common defenses used to obtain acquittals in assault cases include:
You may also be able to argue that you were acting in self-defense. However, you will need to show that you were protecting yourself or someone else and that you only use a reasonable amount of force necessary to stop the threat for this defense to be successful.
You can analyze your defense options further with your Akron assault attorney when you contact our office for a confidential case review.
When you are charged with assault in Akron, you may be feeling worried and scared for your future. Fortunately, we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions below surrounding assault and battery charges.
If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to contact our office so we can discuss your concerns further.
For the prosecutor to obtain a conviction, they must show that you were the primary physical aggressor. It is not against the law to defend yourself — since self-defense is considered a complete defense to assault charges, the charges against you may be dismissed.
Under Ohio law, assault becomes a felony if there is serious bodily injury or if the aggressor uses a deadly weapon. You can also face felony assault charges if you are accused of assaulting a protected class of people such as corrections officers, police officers, or emergency responders.
Generally, you can expect to be arrested if assault charges are filed against you. Since assault is considered a violent crime, you can expect to be arrested and booked before your trial begins at the Akron Municipal Court or Summit County Court of Common Pleas. Fortunately, your assault attorney in Akron can help you pre-arrange bail so you can get home to your family and begin working on your defense strategy.
If you have been charged with assault & battery or another related charge, you must take steps to protect your future and address the charges properly. Reach out to a dedicated Akron assault & battery lawyer at Erb Legal to start working on your defense strategy today.
When you are ready to get started on your case, complete our secured contact form or give our office a call at 330-249-1778 to schedule your confidential consultation.