Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence Affects Many Families, Ruins Lives
In Houston, domestic violence and family violence have essentially the same meaning and are addressed by Chapter 71 of the Texas Family Code. Domestic violence assault or family violence assault may occur when there is an:
- Assault upon a spouse,
- Assault upon a former spouse
- Assault upon a girlfriend
- Assault upon a boyfriend
- Assault upon someone in the same family
- Assault upon someone in the same household
Sometimes a simple discussion between a couple can turn into a heated argument, and the heated argument can become threatening, and the threat may develop into an assault. There does not have to be actual force; threats and the fear of bodily harm in the eyes of the threatened will suffice for a potential charge of domestic violence. Have you been charged with domestic violence in Houston or the surrounding areas? You may be facing serious penalties, including jail, fines, protective restraining orders, a criminal record, and more. A Houston domestic violence attorney will provide you with the legal representation that you need. You need the help of an expert. You are invited to call our law offices right now for a free consultation to discuss your charges.
Why Your Spouse May NOT Be Allowed to Drop the Charges Against You
If you and your spouse (or girlfriend or boyfriend) had a serious argument that resulted in a domestic violence charge, even if you later resolved the issue, made up, forgave each other, agreed to forget it and simply go on loving each other, the decision to drop the charges IS NOT UP TO YOUR SPOUSE! It resides fully with the prosecutor of your case. In most cases, with some exceptions, the prosecutor may effectively force an unwilling spouse to testify in a domestic assault case. Their reason for this is that there might be - and in many cases there actually is – behind-the-scenes manipulation and coercion by other family members and friends upon the victim of a spousal abuse case to not testify against the abuser. For example, if Joe is married to Nancy and he gets jealous because he thinks that Nancy is looking at another man, and he gets into an argument with her and assaults her for her supposed actions and gets arrested for spousal assault, his mother and father, brothers and sisters and friends may all try to persuade Nancy to drop the charges, thinking that it was not a big deal. In reality, Nancy has been assaulted, intimated, controlled and hit by Joe many times. By not dropping the case, the prosecutor may actually be helping Nancy. But what happens if it was an isolated incident and the couple really wants to forget it and move on? A qualified and experienced Houston domestic violence criminal defense attorney will know how to treat this situation to your advantage if at all possible.