Houston Assault Family Violence Charges Defense
Harris County Domestic Assault Lawyers James Sullivan & Associates
James G. Sullivan & Associates are result driven and have worked to get 40 misdemeanor and felony family violence cases dismissed in just the past 3 years and many more over the past 25 years. These dismissed cases can be expunged unlike those who complete deferred adjudication probation and cannot get their records expunged or sealed. Certainly, each case is different. Similar results may not be obtained in your case and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The attorneys at James G. Sullivan & Associates work to get the best result with the aim of getting their client’s case dismissed so they can later get their record expunged. If necessary, the attorneys will fight their case at trial.
Most couples learn to resolve their differences or even end their relationships without resorting to domestic assault or family violence. Sometimes, however, even good people gets so stressed out and feel so overwhelmed that they lose it even for a moment and strike out at their partner or another family member in a physical way.
The Consequences for Assault Family Violence
Depending on the circumstances, the prosecutors can charge Assault Family Violence either as a:
- misdemeanor, or a
- felony.
A Class A Misdemeanor Assault means that a person caused bodily injury (or pain) to their partner. If the person used a deadly weapon in the domestic assault, then it is a Felony Aggravated Assault. If the person choked their partner or impeded their breathing, then it is also a Felony. No matter the level of the criminal offense charged, you can expect the court to order you out of your home and have no contact until the case is resolved with your partner, spouse or family member. Punishment for those who are found guilty of misdemeanor assault family violence may also include:
- Community Supervision (Probation)
- A fine of up to $4,000.00
- Jail confinement of up to one year
- Community service
- Anger management counseling
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has a Family Criminal Law Division that focuses solely on domestic violence. The prosecutors immediately call the alleged victim to get their statement as to what happened. The prosecutors lock in the emotional stress of the event by obtaining their immediate statement. However, facts tend to change and the importance of the incidence significantly lessens frequently after a short cooling off time.
Arrested for Assault Family Violence? Contact James Sullivan & Associates at (281) 546-6428.
Defending a Houston Assault Family Violence Charge
Assault against a family member is very serious and can have far reaching consequences. The accused may be permanently barred from working in certain industries. The accused may be denied housing in apartment complexes. If you are charged with assault family violence, you should seek legal advice from a experienced criminal defense lawyers.
The defense lawyers of James Sullivan & Associates fight to get their client’s assault family violence charges dismissed or won at trial. Other domestic assault lawyers may choose to arrange a plea bargain for their clients; however, this may not be in the client’s best interest. While it is true that a defendant who successfully completes a deferred adjudication probation will not have a conviction on their record, it is also true that if that person ever gets arrested again for assault family violence then he or she will be charged with a third degree felony and if found guilty could be sentenced to between 2 to 10 years in prison.
Negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors should be the last resort. A good domestic assault lawyer will first investigate the case, interview witnesses, analyze physical evidence and review witness statements in the offense report for inconsistencies. Such a defense attorney will also consider possible motives for making false allegations, such as jealousy, revenge or child custody issues.
Need Legal Advice? Call James Sullivan & Associates at (281) 546-6428.
Contact a Houston Assault Family Violence Lawyer
The best way to resolve the case is by first talking with an Assault Family Violence Lawyer. Houston Criminal Lawyer James Sullivan will consider the merits of your case and give you an honest evaluation. He will aggressively defend you. He gets results and fights cases at trial. His legal fees are reasonable and fair.
James Sullivan graduated from the Trial Lawyers College founded by Legendary lawyer Gerry Spence. Sullivan has a proven record of defending people from all walks of life, faiths and countries in courts throughout Texas. This is one of his many client reviews on his Google profile:
On September 22, 2017, I was accused of assault family violence. I was shocked, traumatized and had just lost my career as a K-9 security guard. I am also an Army veteran that served a tour in Afghanistan. I searched for Attorneys and found James Sullivan and Nancy Botts and realized then they would be the ones I would trust to prove my innocence and get me through this rough patch in my life.
When I went to their office and gave them all the information on what exactly happened, they told me not to worry and that they had it handled. We went through the Court system for a little over a year, not due to lack of work on James’ or Nancy’s behalf but because of Hurricane Harvey. We got rescheduled quite a few times and James always made it a point to make sure I was notified of when the next date was and what exactly was going on. I felt comfortable calling him and texting him when something was changing or when I needed information.
We finally got a trial date and it lasted 2 full days between the State and our defense witnesses. From the start, during jury selection, James frustrated the State because they were breaking the rules. He strongly objected twice, and the judge ordered them to change their Power Point slides and presentation.
During the State’s case, James and Nancy took turns skillfully questioning their witnesses. They were able to show through major discrepancies between the 911 calls, the investigating officer and the complainant that the complainant and another state witness conspired to lie about what happened, claiming that they were the victims when in fact the complainant was the aggressor. Nancy even called to the stand a prosecutor who had spoken with the complainant about two months after the incident. The story the complainant told the prosecutor was even different from the original story to 911 and the officer.
The questions and statements made by these two were prepared, smart and very composed. The third day we went for the decision on guilty or not guilty. James made a passionate closing argument, and the jury deliberated for just a few minutes before coming out with a decision. NOT GUILTY! James and Nancy had proved my innocence, showed the state, the judge, jury and visitors in the courtroom that I was innocent. It was over, finally! I was very proud of the decision I had made to hire James Sullivan and Nancy Botts to defend me. I would recommend 100% to anyone with an assault family violence case to hire this law firm.
THANK YOU JAMES AND NANCY!
–Posted by Logan Ellard in June 2019
Contact James Sullivan & Associates for a free phone consultation at (281) 546-6428 about your assault family violence charges in Harris County (Houston), Montgomery County (Conroe), Fort Bend County (Richmond), Brazoria County (Angleton), Galveston County (Galveston), Waller County (Hempstead) and throughout Texas.
Certainly each case is different. Similar results may not be obtained in your case and past performance is no guarantee of future results.
