Common Fort Worth Assault Charges

In Texas, assault is defined as when someone intentionally knowingly or recklessly caused bodily injury to someone, intentionally or knowingly threatened to cause imminent bodily injury to someone, or made any contact that the individual should reasonably know another person would find offensive or provocative. Reasonable apprehension or immediate harm is when another person can quantify the fear they had or when a reasonable person could say the other individual’s action made them fear that harm or contact could occur. If you are facing assault charges, reach out to a seasoned attorney who is knowledgeable about the common Fort Worth assault charges. A well-established assault lawyer could stand by your side and fight for you throughout the process.

Examples of Common Assault Charges

The most common Fort Worth assault charges are between family members, such as husband and wife, siblings, or individuals in a dating relationship. Other examples of assault charges may stem from bar fights.

Most assaults are charged as a Class A misdemeanor. Family violence and bar fighting assaults fall under the definition of intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury to another and causing pain. Sometimes individuals are charged with a Class C misdemeanor for knowing that the contact would be offensive or provocative when it is difficult for the police to determine whether the assault caused pain. For example, a person who spits in someone’s face is engaging in offensive conduct, however, it did not cause pain or harm.

Investigations for Assault

Investigations for the most common Fort Worth Assault charges do not take long to conduct. The police officer spends about an hour with the person raising the complaint to get statements and take pictures. If it is a family violence situation, the police will use a family violence packet to discuss the relationship and history between the two individuals. At that point, if the accused offender is still on site, the officer may make an arrest. If the accused offender is not on site, the officer will gather all the information they need to and will contact the accused offender. It may take a week or two to conduct the investigation before the officer issues a warrant. However, in most assault cases, the accused offender is still on the scene.

Law enforcement takes assault charges very seriously, especially in cases involving family violence. The prosecutors will work hard to prove that the assault caused pain to the individual raising the complaint. This is why it is important to obtain an accomplished lawyer when facing assault charges.

Intimidating Aspects of Assault Charges in Fort Worth

Being arrested for assault can be very intimidating, especially if the charge is for family violence. As a condition of bond when someone is arrested, an emergency protective order is placed against them. This means the individual cannot go within a certain distance of the home or family. When someone is arrested in a family violence case, they cannot go home even to try to work things out. The accused offender cannot live in the same home and in some cases, there may be a no-contact order. This means they cannot talk to the other party until their attorney meets with a judge to get it changed. When someone is arrested they must see a magistrate judge who sets the bond conditions. The most common Fort Worth assault charges are very intimidating, which is why someone who is facing charges may benefit from obtaining a dedicated attorney.

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