Criminal Defense Attorney for Assault & Battery Charges
in Clearwater, St Petersburg, New Port Richey, & Tampa
Bay
Many
people are surprised to learn that they can be charged with
assault for relatively harmless behavior. For example, let’s
say you’re at a Clearwater sports bar watching a football
game between Florida rivals. During the game, one man close
to you notices you’re wearing an opposing T-shirt and
begins taunting you with insults and getting a little too
close for comfort. Finally, you’ve had enough. You get
up and push your chair toward the man, hoping he will back
off. Even if the chair never touches him, the mere act of
throwing or pushing an object in the direction of another
person could result in criminal charges of assault. If the
chair makes contact with anyone, it could result in a charge
of battery.
Assault
and battery are serious charges whether you are at a Clearwater,
Florida sports bar or taking a walk in your Tampa neighborhood.
The criminal defense attorneys at Tinny, Meyer & Piccarreto,
P.A., understand that defending assault and battery charges
is a process that requires experience, detailed investigations,
and knowledge of how the prosecutor’s office works.
As a team of former prosecutors in the Tampa Bay area, our
criminal defense attorneys have the knowledge and experience
you need to defend the assault and battery charges against
you.
Frequently
we are asked the difference between assault and battery. The
two charges often go hand-in-hand, but they are two separate
charges carrying their own penalties. According Chapter 784
of the Florida statutes, assault is an intentional threat
to do harm, coupled with the apparent ability to carry out
that threat. Assault may also be an act which creates fear
in another person that a violent act against him or her is
imminent. Assault, however, does not involve physical contact
between two people. The charge of assault may be a misdemeanor
or a felony, depending on the severity of the situation. A
felony assault is considered an aggravated assault and there
may be different degrees of what an aggravated assault is.
Battery,
on the other hand, is the act of actually touching or striking
another person against the will of that person. Battery is
also defined as intentionally causing bodily harm to another
individual. There are several categories of battery, such
as:
-
Misdemeanor battery
-
Felony battery
-
Aggravated battery
-
Battery on a pregnant female
-
Battery on an individual 65 or older
As
your criminal defense attorney, Tinny, Meyer & Piccarreto
may argue to reduce your assault and battery charge from a
felony to a misdemeanor, or we may argue to have the charges
dropped altogether. Considering the fact that both misdemeanor
and felony assault and battery charges carry jail or prison
time and fines, not to mention a criminal record, it’s
highly recommended that you consult with a criminal defense
attorney about your case.
To
discuss your assault and/or battery charge with an experienced
criminal defense attorney in the Tampa Bay area, please call
Tinny, Meyer & Piccarreto at (727) 446-8600, 24 hours
a day. We’d be glad to talk about your charges over
the phone and schedule a meeting at one of our offices in
Clearwater, St Petersburg, and New Port Richey.
We represent
clients accused of assault and battery throughout the greater
Tampa Bay area including the communities of Palm Harbor, Tarpon
Springs, Holiday, Trinity, Safety Harbor, Dunedin, Largo,
Belleair, and Sarasota as well as Hillsborough County, Pasco
County, Pinellas County, and beyond.
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