Aggravated Assault Charge Attorneys in Essex County NJ
Felony Assault Charges East Orange NJ – Need Lawyer
If you are facing charges for aggravated assault in East Orange or another town in the Essex County area, you want to put your trust in a team of attorneys with the right experience to successfully handle your case. When you have the most well-equipped criminal defense lawyer arguing on your behalf, this can serve as your greatest asset when dealing with courts, judges, prosecutors, and all of the hurdles on the way to a dismissal. This is what we provide at our criminal law firm, and here’s an example.
Our lawyers recently represented a client who was charged with aggravated assault, a third degree indictable (felony) level offense, arising out of East Orange, New Jersey. Because it was a felony level case, the charges were sent to the Essex County Superior Court in Newark, New Jersey for disposition. The charges stemmed from an alleged domestic violence incident between our client and his wife.
The wife was the only witness to the alleged offense and she refused to testify against him in court. Thus, our criminal defense lawyers were able to convince the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office to downgrade the charge to simple assault (a disorderly persons offense) and remand the case back to the East Orange Municipal Court. Then, in East Orange, the State required our client complete eight (8) anger management sessions and that there be no other incidents between the parties for sixty (60) days. At the end of the sixty days, the charges were dismissed completely against our client. The client has no criminal record from this serious felony charge. His arrest record can also be expunged.
Getting an Essex County Assault Charge Downgraded
You may be wondering what it means to get a criminal charge downgraded. Basically, this means the charges are reduced to a lesser offense. This can happen when a felony offense is downgraded to a lesser felony offense; for example, a second degree to a third degree. It can also occur when a felony charge is downgraded to a disorderly persons offense. For instance, in the above case that our attorneys handled, the charges were downgraded from a 3rd degree crime of aggravated assault to a disorderly persons offense for simple assault. When your charges for assault or another crime are downgraded, this serves as a huge benefit to you, as it means that the maximum penalties you face are greatly reduced.
If an East Orange aggravated assault charge is downgraded to simple assault, the case transitions from the Superior Court level to the Municipal Court level. On top of that, the potential sentence is lessened from up to 5 years, to up to 6 months. You also face county jail time instead of state prison. Obviously, downgrading is a big help and it opens up your options to resolve the case significantly. In the aforementioned case, we were able to get the client anger management counseling in lieu of a conviction or any other criminal sentence. Negotiating this type outcome can allow you to avoid jail and even a criminal record altogether. Thus, it is important to learn and explore all of your options before making any decisions as to how best to handle an assault charge or another criminal case.
Arrested for Aggravated Assault in Essex County, Attorney Needed
The criminal defense attorneys at The Tormey Law Firm defend clients charged with aggravated assault in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, and Essex Counties in NJ. Call (201)-330-4979 to go over your case with a lawyer providing free consultations 24/7.