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Florida law defines assault more broadly than most people realize, and it treats battery as a separate but related offense that can happen alongside assault or on its own. Because of these and other legal complexities, fighting an assault charge can be difficult—especially without professional help.
Fortunately, you do not have to fight for your rights on your own; help is available from the seasoned criminal defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jason K.S. Porter, P.A.. If you are facing charges for allegedly committing assault or battery against another person, contacting a Ponte Vedra Beach assault lawyer should be among your top priorities.
Understanding the Difference Between Assault and Battery
In some states, assault and battery are mostly interchangeable terms that both refer to the act of making or threatening to make violent physical contact with another person with the intent to injure them. In Florida, however, assault specifically refers to the act of invoking reasonable fear in another person by threatening violence through physical or verbal means, whereas battery refers to the act of making violent physical contact with another person and causing them physical injury against their will.
State law also defines these two offenses differently when it comes to applicable sanctions upon conviction. Simple assault is considered a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, while simple battery is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. A Ponte Vedra Beach assault attorney from our team could help you understand your charges and work with you to develop a defense strategy tailored to your unique circumstances.
When Does Assault Become an Aggravated Offense?
Our defense lawyers also have extensive experience with contesting charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery in Ponte Vedra Beach. Guidance from skilled legal counsel may be especially crucial to handling allegations like these effectively, since both these charges are classified as felonies.
More specifically, aggravated assault is a third-degree felony that entails someone using or displaying a deadly weapon while committing simple assault or some other felony offense. Conversely, aggravated battery is a second-degree felony involving the use of a weapon to cause bodily harm, the intentional infliction of disabling or disfiguring injuries, or the intentional infliction of bodily harm against a pregnant woman.
Convictions for these two offenses can result respectively in maximum penalties of five years in prison plus $5,000 in fines, and up to 15 years of imprisonment plus a maximum $10,000 fine.
Contact a Ponte Vedra Beach Assault Attorney for Help
Being accused of assaulting or battering another person can change your life in an instant, particularly if you have no prior history of criminal convictions. If you do have past convictions, another guilty finding for a violent offense like this could lead to increasingly harsh sanctions that might include lengthy terms of incarceration.
This kind of allegation is always worth taking seriously, which means it is essential to seek help from a capable legal team to construct a strong defense. Call today to learn how a Ponte Vedra Beach assault lawyer from Problems? Pick Porter!™ could help with your case.