Former Prosecutors & Highly Skilled Hudson County Criminal Attorneys With Over 200 Years Experience Defending Simple Assault Charges In Union City Municipal Court
It might begin with a heated exchange of words in a bar that escalates into a physical encounter. Another common scenario for a Union City simple assault charge is an incident of domestic violence where an alleged victim or neighbor calls the police. Irrespective of why you were charged with this criminal offense, you should know that a conviction results in a permanent criminal record along with fines, probation and even the possibility of a jail sentence. An aggressive defense from a criminal attorney experienced in dealing with charges in Union City Municipal Court offers you the chance to avoid the potentially harsh consequences and stigma of a conviction.
If you were arrested on a Hoboken simple assault offense, the team of criminal defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall has decades of experience successfully defending clients in your shoes. Our lawyers are committed to providing outstanding representation when your future depends on it. They limit their practices to criminal defense, so you know the attorney representing you has a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of NJ simple charges and the most effective legal strategies so you achieve a dismissal of your charge. Call us now at 201.309.0500 to speak with a lawyer in a free initial consultation.
Simple Assault Offense in Union City New Jersey
N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) defines simple assault as occurring when you engage in one or more of the following activities:
- Causing or attempting to cause another person to suffer bodily injury either knowingly, recklessly or purposely. It should be noted that you could be accused and charged with simple assault even if you do not actually cause the other person to suffer an injury.
- Negligently causing bodily injury to another person through the use of a deadly weapon could occur by pointing a loaded gun at another person without intending to fire it could be a simple assault if it accidentally discharges and injures the other party.
- Placing another person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury is another situation where actual injury to the other party is not necessary for police to charge you with simple assault.
The activities N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) defines as simple assault are committed against a person in a public service occupation as designated in the statute, the charge could be elevated to a Hudson County aggravated assault charge, which is the equivalent of a felony. Some of the occupations afforded protection in this manner include a police officer, firefighter, transit bus driver, and school teacher or administrator.
Another twist that frequently arising in this setting is a restraining order. This occurs when the alleged victim of simple assault is someone afforded protection from the NJ Domestic Violence Act. When this is the case, an individual can seek a temporary restraining order precluding the accused from having any contact with the plaintiff. This results in removal from any shared residence in Union City or anywhere else. Learn more information on Hudson County Restraining Orders.
Union City Simple Assault Penalties
Union City Municipal Court judges have discretion when imposing sentence to incarcerate you in the Hudson County Correctional Center for up to six months and order that you pay a fine of as much as $1,000. However, our aggressive defense strategies that identify and use legal defenses could result in a dismissal of the charge or a lighter sentence that does not include confinement to jail. Self-defense, lack of intent to cause harm and impaired mental capacity could be available as defenses depending upon the facts and circumstances of your particular case.
Our defense attorneys carefully review the evidence to identify mitigating factors to counter the prosecution version of the incident. For example, two or more people voluntarily engaging in a fight or scuffle could reduce a simple assault from a disorderly persons offense to a petty disorderly persons offense, which carries a lighter sentence of up to 30 days in jail and a fine of as much as $500.
You should also know that, even in the worst of cases, our lawyers have success in securing a downgrade to a municipal ordinance, outright dismissal or conditional dismissal in an extraordinarily high percentage of cases. Any of these avenues of resolution result in avoidance of a criminal record and collateral consequences that can effect employment, immigration status or obtaining a professional license.
Union City Simple Assault Defense Lawyer
A simple assault attorney from the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall gets to work immediately to gather the facts, including hearing your side of the story, in order to develop a winning defense strategy. Don’t let a momentary lapse in judgment ruin your life. Contact our law firm to speak to a lawyer with the skills to provide you with the opportunity you need to escape a record and penalties under 2C:12-1. Lawyers are available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year to speak with you about your simple assault arrest.
