Aggravated Assault
Your Future Is at Risk!
Aggravated Assault
In Florida, the crime of assault occurs when someone threatens to do bodily harm to another. It does not require going through with the threat or even making the slightest physical contact, as long as the person making the threat appears capable of carrying it out and the person on the receiving end of the threat has a well founded fear of imminent harm.
If you have been accused of any degree of assault, you are facing an uncertain future with possible jail time if you are convicted; but if you have been accused of aggravated assault, you are in an even more precarious position.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Simple assault is a misdemeanor in Florida, but if you throw a deadly weapon into the picture, or if the assault takes place in the course of committing another serious crime, it’s a whole different ballgame. In these cases, even if no one is hurt, you can be charged with a third degree felony—aggravated assault, which is a very serious crime with mandatory enhanced penalties. A deadly weapon is anything capable of doing serious bodily harm, and can even be a pocket knife or a piece of broken glass used in a threatening manner. Aggravated assault by itself is a third degree felony that can get you sent away for as long as five years in a Florida state prison. If the victim of the aggravated assault was a police officer, firefighter, or EMT, the charge is elevated from a third degree felony to a second degree felony, with a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years.
Aggravated Assault with a Firearm
If the “deadly weapon” involved was a firearm, or worse, a machine gun or semiautomatic weapon, you could potentially be facing a mandatory sentence of from three to twenty years in prison, depending on the type of weapon and whether or not it was discharged.
Your Future Is at Risk!
With the daunting specter of a felony charge hanging over your head, you are undoubtedly in fear for your future, and rightfully so. Not only are you at a high risk of going to prison, your entire future is in jeopardy. A convicted felon faces many obstacles to living a productive and comfortable life, which goes far beyond the years spent behind bars. You will be stripped of your civil rights, no longer able to vote or hold public office, and you will be forbidden from owning a gun. You will have serious difficulty obtaining any type of quality employment and may find yourself denied housing by both private landlords and public housing projects. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you could be deported. You may hope to turn your life around by pursuing educational opportunities to learn a new trade or earn a degree, only to be denied admission to the program you are seeking or, if you are admitted, to be denied the financial aid you need. Our society does not make it easy for those who have made the mistake of being convicted of a felony to rehabilitate themselves and get their lives back on track.
Aggressive Defense against Aggravated Assault Charges in West Central Florida
If you are anywhere in the West Central Florida area and have been accused of Aggravated Assault, you can get the high quality legal help by calling criminal defense attorney Stephen Maltezos. Steve takes every case he accepts very personally—every bit as personally as if you were a member of his own family. He is smart, aggressive, and creative in analyzing the circumstances of your arrest and finding weaknesses in the prosecution’s case that he can use to your benefit. He has a superior record of having charges dismissed or reduced, as well as obtaining acquittals for his clients at trial. Most importantly, he is a lawyer who is willing to roll up his sleeves and fight for you, to give you the opportunity to live your life unhindered by the obstacles that a felony conviction would create.
Steve Maltezos is not about expensive suits, fancy cars, and high end office space. When you hire Steve, you have an advocate who never stops until he has obtained the best possible outcome for you, one that in most cases will allow you to move forward with your life and achieve your dreams and goals, without the stigma of a felony conviction on your record.
Exercise your constitutional right to remain silent and call Stephen Maltezos immediately if you’ve been arrested. The sooner you bring him on board, the better he will be able to protect your rights and your future.