Domestic violence charges and convictions can seriously disrupt and impact your life. Get help from a skilled criminal defense attorney who is serious about protecting you.
What starts as a simple argument can sometimes turn into a criminal domestic violence accusation with dire consequences – impacting your family, your freedom, and your economic survival. In many areas, police have policies of automatic arrest when they have reason to believe a crime of domestic violence has been committed. Serious domestic violence charges may be filed for surprisingly minimal amounts of contact or threats made in the heat of an argument.
In Washington State, prosecutors can tag a criminal charge as a crime of domestic violence based on the relationship between the two persons, without much regard for the nature of accusation. We have successfully defended many cases labeled “domestic violence” and the charges we have defended have included: felony assault, misdemeanor assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, harassment, indecent liberties, rape, theft, malicious mischief and more. When items are broken, or property is damaged, even if the defendant is considered an owner of the property, it can be classified as “domestic violence” if the person is married to complaining witness. Marriage in Washington creates “community property,” which can carry the sometimes surprising result of a person being accused criminally for damaging property that person actually owns.
The legal definition of domestic violence crimes in Washington can also result in charges relating to relative who don’t live with the accused, roommates, or past partners, who no longer live with or date the accused. Sometimes the people identified as “domestic violence victims” are logically outside the scope of the statute. Nevertheless, because of the grave consequences a “domestic violence” conviction can carry, having a skilled, experienced, and fearless advocate on your side can be crucial in defending against these life changing accusations.
At the Law Office of Nicole T. Dalton, PLLC, we also understand that sometimes angry people lie about relatives or the person they are romantically involved with and sometimes they make desperate accusations. Disagreements between family members and loved ones sometimes lead to unexpectedly serious problems. Even when the other person involved a domestic violence incident regrets her or his actions and wants to drop the charges, the government frequently pursues prosecution, disregarding the supposed victim’s wishes.
Once a person is charged, courts often impose no contact orders which can result in the charged person being excluded from home and family. Domestic violence convictions can carry extremely serious consequences including incarceration, extended no contact orders, loss of firearm rights, and can have a serious impact on a person’s ability to obtain employment, housing and other benefits.
An aggressive approach by an experienced and successful criminal defense attorney can make a huge difference. Conducting a thorough investigation can be crucial. We often work with professional investigators with great track records to search for favorable evidence for our clients and make the prosecution understand that the facts are not always what they think they are. Ms. Dalton has successfully used pre-trial motions and an aggressive litigation approach to achieve many favorable results in domestic violence cases.
Whether your goal is to just return to your life as quickly as possible or whether you need to fight for a dismissal or take the case to trial, Nicole Dalton is a skilled and experienced trial lawyer who will fight for the results that you need. Ms. Dalton has experience handling charges relating to domestic violence including: felony and misdemeanor assault, rape, burglary, harassment, stalking, indecent liberties, violations of no contact and protection orders, malicious mischief, and other felony and misdemeanor charges.
We’re ready and willing to work hard on your case to achieve the best possible outcome. Get help now by calling 360-213-0013 for you free initial consultation with an experienced domestic violence attorney.