DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWYER SERVING KNOXVILLE & FARRAGUT, TENNESSEE

It happens every day: People hear their neighbors arguing and call the police, thinking they’re helping a victim of serious sexual abuse or battery. More often than not, though, the neighbor has unwittingly gotten one or both arguers in trouble with the law — for when the police arrive, they tend to be quick to arrest those involved. Before they know it, one or both people involved in the argument are looking at criminal charges of assault, domestic assault, or a related crime.

While legitimate victims of domestic violence deserve support and protection, we at the Law Office of Joshua S. Reed know from years of experience that when it comes to these types of criminal charges, there’s always more to the story than what you’ll find on the Police report. If you have been charged with assault, battery, domestic assault, or a related charge, know that we are here to provide you with a safe place to tell your side of the story.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VS. DOMESTIC ASSAULT IN TENNESSEE

Although “domestic violence” is an extremely common term, Tennessee’s criminal justice system actually uses the term “domestic assault” to describe physical violence of a domestic nature. More specifically, assault becomes domestic assault when it is committed against one of the following people:

• Your spouse (either current or former)

• Your cohabitant

• Your sexual or dating partner

• Your relative (blood or adoptive)

• Your relative by marriage (current or former)

• The child (adult or minor) of any of the above individuals

To be classified as assault, the act of violence must appear to have an intentional motive. In other words, you should only be charged with domestic assault if it appears that you were trying to deliberately:

• Inflict a bodily injury to another person,

• Scare another person into believing that they were in danger of impending bodily injury, or

• Make physical contact with another person in such a way that that person would consider the contact extremely offensive or provocative.

Since Tennessee has such specific guidelines to define domestic assault, there are many strategies your criminal defense lawyer can use to defend your case. When you consult with our legal team, we will review the specific details of your situation in order to help you determine the best way to defend your rights.

CRIMINAL CHARGES RELATED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

When the police show up at your house responding to a noise complaint, domestic assault may not be the only offense you are charged with. Fortunately, our legal team has extensive experience defending our clients against both domestic violence charges and other types of violent crimes, including:

• Simple assault

• Intentional aggravated assault

• Reckless aggravated assault

• Battery

Depending on which type of violent crime you are charged with, you could face a number of penalties if convicted. These penalties may include jail time and/or thousands of dollars in fines. As your legal counsel, we will fight aggressively to have your charges reduced or dismissed if possible.