Steps to Take Following an Assault Arrest in Richmond

Assault offenses are not what people think they are. When an individual generally hears the word assault, one thinks somebody is getting beaten up, punched in the face, or attacked and the police respond and make an arrest.

What normally happens in an assault case is that there is some kind of an unwanted touching. That can be an attack, a push, a punch, or a slap. That can be also be spitting on somebody, pushing somebody not very hard, or slapping somebody and drawing any blood. Most of the time, it is like a playground fight. Fights can be considered assault. All of those things can be considered assaults. Doing any of the aforementioned things could result in an assault arrest. There are certain steps to take following an assault arrest in Richmond that can help you build your case. One of the most important steps is contacting a lawyer. A qualified assault attorney could devote the time and resources necessary to build your defense.

What Must Happen for an Assault Arrest to Occur

Since assault is a Class One misdemeanor, for an arrest to be made the assault or the misdemeanor has to happen in front of an officer or there has to be a lot of probable cause to arrest somebody. Normally what an individual sees in an assault case is that the assaults happen or an incident takes place.

Police are called, but sometimes they are not. What happens is the individuals involved in the incident go down to the precinct or to magistrate’s office and take out a warrant against somebody else. When they do that the other party is not present, so they are not privy to the warrant being taken out. They do not even know that there is a charge out against them until the police come to their house and serve them with a charge or a warrant.

What Happens Following an Arrest

After an assault arrest in Richmond, normally what will happen, assuming that the individual being charged has no criminal history or record, is the individual is taken to the Richmond City Jail or the Richmond City Justice Center. There, one will see the magistrate. Given an assault is a misdemeanor carrying up to 12 months and assuming a person has no record, they will more than likely be released on their own recognizance, which means that they will not have to pay any kind of a bond to be out. Before a person gets released, the officers may question that person in reference to the assault. Generally, they will give the person the warrant, tell that person that they are being charged, and give that person a date to report to court for their arraignment.

At a person’s arraignment, they will be in front of the judge. The judge is going to tell them what they are charged with and what the maximum and minimum penalties of that particular charge are. Since the charge is an assault, one is looking at a maximum of 12 months in jail and a fine of $2,500. They will then give that person an opportunity to see if they want to retain an attorney or if they want to qualify for court-appointed counsel and set that person’s case for a hearing date. Ome of the steps to take following an assault arrest in Richmond a person might take, is retaining an attorney.

How Soon Can a Person Contact an Attorney?

The moment a person is released from police custody, assuming that they are released from police custody, they may contact a lawyer. If a person is not released from police custody and held in the city jail, the moment they get access to a phone, that person can contact an attorney. In any kind of a criminal situation, assaults or otherwise, from the moment an individual finds out that they are under investigation or being arrested, that person should contact a lawyer and discuss what their options are.

Other Steps to Take Following an Assault Arrest in Richmond

One of the steps to take following an assault arrest in Richmond a person should take is writing down anything that they can remember from the alleged assault incident if they have not already done so. An individual should write it down and have a recording of it in their possession because they are going to forget what took place as time goes by. They are going to forget who was around, who was there, and what happened. At that time it was not that big of a deal for them to remember in the first place because that person was not the one who took out a criminal complaint.

 

An individual should also retain the services of a skilled lawyer to know what their rights are and what they can and cannot do. It can help put in the best position as far going to trial with this particular matter. Taking notes and write things down is helpful because it helps that person understand and remember the narrative as to what took place during the incident that leads to the arrest.