In Florida, you can get into deep trouble with the law if you assault another person. Assaults are not taken lightly because they threaten a victim and make them fear that they will be injured or killed.
Something that some people don’t realize is that an assault charge doesn’t mean that any physical contact took place. You can assault someone without even being near them as long as the victim truly believed that they were in danger.
Florida has several different types of assault offenses that you could be accused of including:
- Simple assault
- Aggravated assault
- Felony assault
How can you defend against assault charges?
Assaults can be defended against if you can show that you did not intend to harm the victim. You will want to show a lack of criminal intent. You might explain how the situation was misunderstood or that what you were doing was an accident or joke. The prosecution, on the other hand, will be trying to show that you had criminal intent, the means to carry out any threats you made and that you intended to do so.
If you did make physical contact with the alleged victim, then you may also face battery charges. Assault and battery sometimes are charged together, but they are not always. This is something to talk to your attorney about because a battery charge could be lowered to assault, for example, if you can prove you didn’t touch the person making the claims against you. Your attorney can talk to you more about your options if you’re charged with assault, battery or both.