Unfortunately, everyone has some conflict in their lives. Tempers flare among family members and acquaintances and it occasional gets physical. If someone calls the police about a family altercation and the police arrive – someone is going to go to jail. With the increase in domestic violence crimes and vigilance about these offenses, more and more people are arrested when law enforcement becomes involved.
Often the people that are taken to jail did not actually commit domestic violence but have become victims of the procedure that dictates that one of the parties needs to be incarcerated. Recently in Central Florida there have been a number of high profile cases where victims of domestic violence were ultimately murdered by people who were close to them. So, understandably, judges and prosecutors have taken domestic violence cases very seriously – so should you.
If the circumstances surrounding an arrest are really incidences of too much alcohol, heated arguments, or other personal problems that did not really result in domestic violence, then there are strong defenses for a case.
Citizens do not want a domestic violence conviction on a person’s record. A conviction for those crimes can spill over to litigation in family law involving child custody issues. Also, prospective employers take an exceptionally dim view of applicants with convictions for domestic violence. Licensing entities such as the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and firearms permitting also scrutinize those types of convictions closely.
If you or someone close to you has been arrested for domestic violence or battery please call my office immediately. Often times after tempers and emotions have calmed down these cases can be resolved without going to trial. If an alleged victim was not actually battered and they are willing to sign a declination of prosecution, then the State may ultimately be willing to dismiss the charges. Again, the best thing to do is call my Orlando office now for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION to discuss any domestic charges.
There are programs available for domestic violence diversion whereby defendants can avoid costly litigation over the charges and can finish the programs without having a conviction on their record.