Tarrant County Assault Lawyer 

An assault charge can be intimidating to face, especially since a conviction could lead to jail time, expensive fines, and a permanent mark on your criminal record that could be very difficult to explain to a potential employer or landlord.

Having a skilled attorney on your side could relieve some of the stress associated with facing a criminal charge. A Tarrant County assault lawyer could defend your best interests and advocate on your behalf in court, helping you every step of the way in pursuit of a positive resolution to your case.

There is no reason to face an assault charge alone. If you are charged with assault in Tarrant County, speak with an experienced defense attorney right away to see what options you have. En Español.

Assault Laws in Tarrant County

Assault is defined in Tarrant County as either causing bodily injury to another, threatening another with imminent bodily injury, or causing provocative or offensive contact with another. The minimum form of intent required to trigger this offense is mere recklessness, which means a defendant does not need to actually intend to cause the harmful or offensive contact in order to be charged with assault.

Texas Penal Code §22.01 makes a simple assault a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000. There is no mandatory or minimum sentence attached to a Class A misdemeanor. With the help of a Tarrant County assault lawyer, it may even be possible for a defendant to receive no jail time at all.

Threatening Imminent Injury

It is possible to be charged with assault in Tarrant County without ever actually touching another person. For this to be the case, however, the threat must be imminent. For example, a simple threat to cause bodily harm may not qualify as assault if it does not reasonably suggest that an assaultive action is imminent. On the other hand, an attempt to strike someone that misses could be considered assault, since there was demonstrable evidence of intent to cause harm even though no actual harm occurred.

Offensive or Provocative Contact

The law does not require an actual injury in order to charge a person with assault. If a punch intentionally thrown by someone impacts another person but does not cause them any significant injury, the law nevertheless allows the uninjured victim to press assault charges if they desire.

Furthermore, offensive and provocative contact between people could lead to much more dangerous retaliatory behavior. To protect against this, assault law in Tarrant county merely requires contact to be offensive or provocative to charge a person with assault.

Consult with a Tarrant County Assault Attorney Today

Offensive and provocative contact can result in assault charges in Tarrant County, but whether that contact was in fact offensive or provocative is for a court to decide. A Tarrant County assault attorney could argue that contact was not offensive or provocative given the circumstances, which could result in a dismissal of charges. Furthermore, an attorney could argue that a threat of contact was not imminent and therefore was not assault.

Fighting an assault charge takes a thorough understanding of assault law, which can be nuanced in many cases. If you are charged with assault, contact a Tarrant County assault lawyer to discuss your case.