Texas Domestic Assault Lawyer for When Relationships Turn Sour

Experienced Domestic Assault Defense Attorney in Texas

Life can be difficult and stresses can sometimes reach the breaking point. Everyone is capable of making mistakes, especially in relationships. When relationships turn sour and you find yourself charged with domestic assault in Fort Bend County, you need someone to defend your rights and investigate your side of events with diligence and compassion. You need domestic assault defense attorneys Carolyn McDaniel and Rick Forlano.

Levels of Domestic Assault Under Texas Law

Texas law recognized three specific levels of assault under the heading of domestic assault. To be considered domestic assault, the offense must have been perpetuated against a family member, household member or a person the alleged offender is dating or has dated in the past. As you can see, defining and charging a person with domestic assault can be complex, which is why you need an experienced domestic assault defense attorney like Carolyn McDaniel or Rick Forlano in your corner.

Domestic Assault

Under Texas law, a person can be charged with domestic assault if they commit any of the following against a family member, household member or a current or former dating partner:

• intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury to another person
• intentionally or knowingly threatening another person with imminent bodily injury
• intentionally or knowingly causing physical contact with another that the offender knows or reasonably should know the victim will find provocative or offensive

Reckless acts committed without regard for the outcome, and provocative or offensive actions that do not cause physical trauma can also be considered as a domestic assault. For example, poking another person’s chest while engaged in an argument could be chargeable as domestic assault.

Aggravated Domestic Assault

Charges of aggravated domestic assault carry stiffer penalties because the circumstances of the assault have been elevated. Aggravated domestic assault involves:

• intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes serious bodily injury to another person, or
• uses or exhibits a deadly weapon in the course of committing any assault crime, including threatening another with bodily injury or engaging in conduct that the victim likely will find offensive.

The serious bodily injury typically must require hospitalization, and the presence of a deadly weapon adds greater complications. This can be tricky territory, and attorneys Carolyn McDaniel and Rick Forlano can mount a spirited defense regarding actions that can be seriously misconstrued during stressful interactions.

Continuous Violence Against the Family

Two domestic assaults committed within a 12-month period, not necessarily against the same person, is chargeable with continuous violence against the family. This charge carries the most serious assault charges.

Fort Bend County Domestic Assault Defense

Letting a simple disagreement get out of hand can result in serious domestic assault charges and lasting penalties — so can choosing the wrong defense attorney. The Law Firm of Carolyn McDaniel and Rick Forlano conducts their own detailed investigation of the circumstances surrounding the alleged domestic assault, not relying on the responding law enforcement officer’s often biased report. We seek to establish all the facts in order to construct a formidable defense.

If a relational dispute has ended with you being charged with domestic assault in Richmond or Fort Bend County, Texas, call the Law Firm of Carolyn McDaniel and Rick Forlano to protect your rights and present your case.