If you have been in a physical fight with another person, chances are you know exactly what Third Degree Assault (C.R.S. 18-3-204) is in Denver, Arapahoe, and Douglas County. This is our most commonly charged Assault.
Assault is usually defined as knowingly or recklessly hurting of another person. Simply put, if the person who is hit, slapped, punched, pushed, or kicked says to the police they felt pain, you can be arrested on the spot for hurting another. Other ways to be charged include: accidentally shooting someone with a bow or gun, attempting to hurt another through use of a weapon, or causing serious bodily injury to by use of a deadly weapon.
The crime of Assault can be charged as First degree (C.R.S. 18-3-202), Second degree (C.R.S. 18-3-203), or Third degree (C.R.S. 18-3-204) in Jefferson, Adams, and Boulder County. Whatever the degree of this charge, you will need a criminal attorney / lawyer in the Denver metro area to help you fight the allegations. An experienced criminal defender will know the difference between attempted assault and completed assault, use of a deadly weapon or not, or when serious bodily injury is present.
Many times, District Attorneys in Larimer, Weld, and El Paso County will attempt to charge someone with a more serious crime than actually occurred; this process is called overcharging. When they do this to our clients, we fight back and push the District Attorney to start from the actual crime, not the overcharged incident. This process allows our attorneys to get better outcomes for our clients because we work around the DA’s obstacle to work out a plea to a different, lesser charge. At that point, our clients can make the most informed decision about their future.
First and Second degree Assault charges have a minimum mandatory prison time associated with a conviction. So, if you plead guilty to, or are found guilty of either of those two crimes, you will be going to the Department of Corrections for a minimum of five years, depending on the actual conviction. District Attorneys use this severe minimum sentence as leverage to people to plead to crimes they didn’t necessarily commit. Without a criminal defense lawyer in Aurora, Lakewood, and Parker fighting for your freedom, you might end up being found guilty of a crime you didn’t commit.
So, if you or a loved one have been charged with Assault, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent and get our defense lawyers on your side at 303-731-0719, today. Together, we can protect your future.
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