Texas does not take kindly to domestic assault charges in general, but when it comes to a domestic assault charges that involves choking or impeding breath, the punishments can be exceptionally harsh.
If your domestic violence charges don’t involve choking, they are usually treated as a misdemeanor. However, Texas maintains specific statutes that make choking a felony charge.
That’s right – if your assault charge includes choking, you’re looking at a felony on your record and potentially years of your life behind bars.
No matter what your circumstances may be, it is crucial to get the best legal defense that you can as quickly as you can before the legal process gains too much momentum. The longer you wait to start fighting for your future, the more difficult you make it for yourself.
Assault by choking charges require swift action
Let’s say your neighbors call the cops because you and your wife or girlfriend let an argument get out of hand, and maybe you break something. Law enforcement arrives at the scene and charges you with assault by choking or impeding breath.
If you do nothing, and if they throw the book at you in the sentencing, you could serve up to 10 years of prison time and face a ten thousand dollar fine.
One argument that gets out of hand, some poor choices in legal defense, and you just lost ten thousand dollars and a decade of your life. A decade.
No only that, but standard procedure for a choking charge includes an emergency restraining order against you, meaning that you cannot go near your wife or girlfriend or be in their home. Typically, these orders last for at least 61 days.
If you violate the restraining order, even if it includes your own home, matters can go from bad to worse.
Not only might you incur even more charges on top of the existing felony assault charges, you might have your bond revoked, meaning you must wait behind bars for your trial. This could mean months in jail before you’re ever tried, even if you’re innocent.
Do not hesitate to build a strong defense
It is clear that choking charges are extremely serious. Under no circumstances should you simply ride them out or take your chances with a public defender. Now is the time to fight with everything you have to protect your future and the future of the ones you love.
If this speed bump turns into a major pothole, you could derail not only your life but the lives of many people who love and depend on you. Spending years behind bars means your wife and your children have no one to provide for them, simply because your temper or your wife’s temper got out of hand and your neighbors got nosey.
You should not wait another moment to seek the help of an experienced attorney who understands how to protect your rights and fight for your future. With proper legal guidance, you can rest assured that a team of legal professionals will use years of combined experience to ensure that your case is heard fairly and does not devolve into a witchhunt.