Offenses Against the Person

Criminal Defense Attorney Assisting Seattle Residents and Others

Offenses against the person are crimes that involve violent acts or trigger a fear of bodily harm in someone threatened with violence. This broad range of offenses includes harassment, assault, stalking, reckless endangerment, domestic violence, unlawful imprisonment, violating a protection order, and kidnapping. If you are accused of committing this type of crime, you may benefit from consulting Seattle criminal defense lawyer Mark Blair. He can investigate the details of your circumstances and guide you through the legal process.

Fighting Charges for an Offense against the Person

Offenses against the person are usually charged as gross misdemeanors or felonies. They are taken seriously by prosecutors. Among the more common of these offenses, for example, is a violation of a no-contact order. For this type of charge to stand, a prosecutor will have the burden of proof to show beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a valid no-contact order, the defendant had notice of the order, and the defendant engaged in the prohibited contact.

Generally, when such an order is in place, a defendant may be found guilty even if the person protected by the order initiated the contact or had no problem with the contact. A violation of a no-contact order is a gross misdemeanor, which can be punished by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. It becomes a Class C felony, with harsher possible punishments, if there are two prior convictions for similar violations or the contact occurs in connection with reckless endangerment or assault.

Another frequently charged offense in this category is assault in the first degree. This is a class A felony. The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had the intent to cause great bodily harm and either assaulted someone with a deadly weapon or with force likely to produce death or bodily harm, or assaulted someone else and actually caused great bodily harm. The maximum sentence for assault in the first degree is life in prison, a fine of up to $50,000, or both. There are four degrees of assault, with assault in the fourth degree being charged as a gross misdemeanor because it is the least serious.