Young people are subject to peer pressure, school and family demands, and emotional turmoil. Sometimes, teens and young adults give in to these pressures and make mistakes, like throwing a punch or brandishing a weapon. When an impulsive act results in criminal charges, a compassionate and understanding defense team can step in and help you focus on protecting your future.
If you or your loved one have been accused of assault or threatening someone with violence, you need guidance to find your way through the juvenile or adult court system. Our team sees people, not their alleged crimes and we believe that no one should have one mistake ruin their life. We provide proactive representation to avoid or minimize the long-term impact that criminal charges can have on you. Call today to schedule a time to speak with one of our Cherokee County simple assault lawyers to see if we can help your unique circumstances.
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 16-5-20 defines a simple assault as an attempt to commit a violent injury to someone else or to perform an act that places another in reasonable apprehension of immediately receiving a violent injury. Furthermore, Georgia case law sets the precedent that an accused person does not have to intend to make the target apprehensive, or fearful, but must intend to commit the act that causes the target to become apprehensive. For example, a teen who raises a hand to strike a classmate, causing the other person to cower, could be accused of simple assault, even if they did not hit them.
Without knowledgeable legal representation, a young person facing assault charges in Cherokee County or elsewhere in the state is at an increased risk for a permanent criminal record as well as the other adverse effects having a record can elicit. We want to help you navigate this. Contact our team of compassionate and skilled attorneys to develop a strategy that meets your needs.
Typically, when someone is 16 or younger, criminal charges will be heard in Juvenile Court, unless it falls within an exception that allows juveniles to be charged in adult courts.
If a juvenile is found to have committed a simple assault, the Juvenile Court judge, at the disposition hearing, can order various forms of rehabilitative treatment, if they deem it to be in the young person’s best interest. Georgia’s Juvenile Code calls for the least restrictive mandate possible and will consider the teen’s role in the alleged assault, their age, prior record, and perceived strengths and weaknesses. Penalties can include:
While the consequences of the juvenile court system are often not as harsh as those facing adult court, facing juvenile criminal charges should still be taken seriously. Having a record as a juvenile could lead to more severe consequences in the future should the teen face additional charges. Additionally, long-term involvement in the juvenile or criminal justice system can shape a young person’s view of themselves and mold their future behaviors and decisions.
These charges require legal representation from a Cherokee County simple assault defense team who is familiar with the nuances of both the Juvenile Court system (for those 16 and younger). Our team can provide the skillful guidance a young person needs to move forward in the best way possible and ensure that their future is not dependent on past mistakes.
Typically, when a person is 17 or older, their case is heard in criminal court as an adult. In Cherokee County, simple assault cases for adults are typically heard in State Court. Simple assault, without aggravating factors, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in county jail with possible fines of up to $1,000 plus surcharges.
Other simple assaults can be considered high and aggravated misdemeanors, punishable by up to 12 months in county jail and fines up to $5,000. These include simple assaults on certain family members, pregnant women, people 65 or older, public school employees on school grounds, or on people riding public transit or in a transit station.
Long-term implications of simple assault charges can include a permanent criminal record that can result in losing career opportunities, scholarships, and higher education opportunities—not to mention the unfair judgments of some people in the community. Contact our skilled attorneys to start the process of reviewing your or your loved one’s case. If, after your initial defense strategy meeting, we agree that the situation is a good fit for you and our team, then our team will do everything we can to provide clarity about your current options and help you minimize the impact of these charges on your future. Our Cherokee County simple assault attorneys want to see you succeed.
At the Ghanouni Teen & Young Adult Defense Firm, we recognize the inappropriate judgment society can place on a person after a criminal charge. This can cause teens or young adults to lose opportunities or think of themselves in a less positive light. However, we believe a good person can make a mistake and that those mistakes should not follow them around or impact their future success.
Let our Cherokee County simple assault lawyers help you go from someone facing a criminal record that could hold you back for the rest of your life to someone who has every opportunity to achieve their full potential. Reach out today to learn more about our team and whether working together would be a good fit.
Ghanouni Teen & Young Adult Defense Firm
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