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Is it worth pressing charges for assault?
In this article, you’ll learn about:
Let’s dig in.
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Pressing assault charges is the process of filing a complaint to begin criminal prosecution.
You file the complaint with an agency like:
Charges can get pressed by:
Once a criminal report gets filed, the police will investigate the allegations.
And they will decide whether to make an arrest or issue a citation.
Depending on the severity of the crime, the prosecutor may choose to:
There needs to be:
Read More: What Happens When You Press Charges?
Let’s say someone presses an aggravated assault charge on your behalf without your consent.
The police may:
The charges may get dropped if:
Assault is when someone uses physical force or threats of harm to hurt another person.
This can include:
It also includes making verbal threats to hurt or scare someone.
Assault is a serious crime and can lead to legal consequences.
Aggravated assault examples include:
Aggravated assault:
Examples of simple assault include:
Let’s say that you have been the victim of an assault.
You have to decide whether it is worth pressing charges.
There are pros and cons to pressing charges for assault.
Some pros are that:
Some cons are that:
Ultimately, it is a personal decision that should get made carefully.
You can choose to make the decisions with the help of:
Here’s what to consider when asking if it is worth pressing charges for assault:
Fill out the form on this page to email an experienced attorney about your case.
We can easily tell you whether or not it’s worth pressing charges for criminal assault.
You may also need a personal injury lawyer if you sustained injuries.
We can chat about this as well.
Let’s talk about what you can press assault charges for.
You can press assault charges for:
It does cost money to press charges.
On average, you’ll spend several thousand dollars to press charges.
Depending on the severity of the crime, victims may have to pay:
Victims may have to take time off of work to attend:
This could result in lost wages.
The victim may have to bear the costs of the initial investigation.
(Even if the courts decide not to pursue the case.)
When you press charges for assault, you are filing a criminal complaint.
You file this complaint against the perpetrator with the police or prosecutors.
(This is not the same as filing a civil lawsuit.)
When you press charges, the police will open an investigation.
They do this to see if there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the assailant.
After the police investigation, the findings get submitted to the district attorney’s office.
The district attorney’s office decides whether to press criminal charges or not.
This will result in a court trial.
They will either:
A plea bargain allows them to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
And they can receive a lighter sentence for the assault.
When you report an assault to the police, they will:
They will then investigate the incident and collect any evidence that is available.
The police may also arrest the suspect and charge them with a crime.
It is important to keep in mind that:
The kind of evidence that the police will collect is:
How long you have to press charges for assault depends on your state’s statute of limitations.
Generally, the statute of limitations for assault is two to five years.
But this time frame can vary depending on:
Fill out the form on this page to find out how long you have to press charges for assault.
The amount of time it takes to press charges on someone will depend on a variety of factors.
Let’s say that the crime is a serious one.
The prosecuting attorney may need more time to:
Also, let’s say that the accused is not in custody already.
The police will need to spend time tracking them down to arrest them.
Police investigation and local laws may impact the timeline.
Pressing charges on someone could take days, weeks, or months.
The process to file criminal charges for assault can be a long and daunting one.
The first step is to contact the police and report the assault.
The police will ask for details about the incident and take a statement from you.
It is important to be as detailed and honest as possible when giving your statement.
The police will ask you to sign an affidavit of complaint.
This is a formal document that states that you wish to press charges.
The police will then investigate the case.
And they will decide whether to arrest the perpetrator.
If the person gets arrested, the case will get referred to the district attorney’s office.
The DA will then decide whether to proceed with the case or not.
Let’s say the district attorney has decided to move forward with the case.
There will be a criminal court hearing and a trial.
You will get asked to appear and testify about how the assault occurred.
You’ll need a local attorney to give you legal assistance when you are filing charges.
The steps on how to file assault charges are:
Here are other questions we get related to whether it’s worth it to press charges for assault.
Let’s say someone presses charges against you for fighting.
It means they are asking the police and the court system to take action against you.
This could result in:
Depending on the severity of the fight, you may face jail time or other punishments.
It is important to talk to an attorney if you are facing criminal charges.
Let’s say that someone presses charges on you.
It means that they are accusing you of committing a crime.
This accusation will then get dealt with by the legal system.
You may get arrested and taken to court with a lawyer who will represent you.
Depending on the severity of the crime, you may have to:
Pushing someone is a form of assault.
It is a type of physical contact that can hurt someone or make them feel threatened.
Pushing someone is an assault that is a criminal offense.
If you get found guilty, you could face serious consequences.
Depending on the situation, pushing someone could be either a misdemeanor or a felony.
Any type of physical contact can get as considered assault.
Even if it is a physical force that is not meant to be violent.
Yes, you can go to jail for beating someone up. If you hurt someone physically:
You may have to pay a fine or even spend time in prison.
Filing a police report does not mean that you have to file charges.
A police report is a written record of an incident.
The assault report helps police understand what happened.
This report can get used to document the incident for the local police department.
And it can provide law enforcement with a timeline of events.
Filing a police report can be a helpful way to provide authorities with the facts of the incident.
You might file a police report without pressing charges if:
Filing a police report can help document the incident without further legal action.
It can also be a useful tool for law enforcement in:
If you are wondering if it is worth pressing charges for assault, fill out the form on this page.
Our criminal defense attorneys have the experience you need to defend your rights.
This way, you don’t:
You deserve a fair trial in the criminal justice system.
Our law firm can provide you with that.
Fill out the form for your free consultation.
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