If you receive charges related to a physical altercation in Colorado, you could be in significant legal trouble. Facing assault charges in Colorado means the prosecutors are accusing you of a violent crime. You have the right to dispute the charges and defend yourself, and your defense team’s skill could be the difference between jail time and an acquittal.
Learn more about how to defend yourself against assault charges in Colorado.
What Is Assault in Colorado?
Colorado law defines assault as the act of intentionally causing harm to someone or causing the victim to fear imminent harm. Assault usually involves an attack or fight.
Determining the Severity of the Charge
Colorado Statute Chapter 3-2 deals with all the different descriptions of assault charges that you may face. You could receive a charge of misdemeanor assault or felony assault, each of which has different degrees of severity.
Under Colorado law, multiple factors related to the attack determine the severity of the charge you are facing, including:
- Type of attack
- Whether the attack involved weapons
- Severity of the injuries
- Severity of the attack
- The victim of the attack
Determining a strategy for fighting your assault charges in Colorado often depends on the severity of the charges.
4 Potential Defenses Against Assault Charges
When your Colorado criminal defense attorneys begin working on your case, they will develop a defense strategy. However, they first must learn more about the case and study exactly what happened. Without this information, it’s challenging to create a defense.
Some potential options for defending yourself against assault charges in Colorado include the following.
1. Self-Defense
Making self-defense claims is a common way to try to avoid a conviction against assault charges. To claim self-defense, you must show that you believed you were facing serious bodily harm if you did not defend yourself. You could show that you were trying to protect someone else from bodily harm, too.
2. The Police Report Is Wrong
If you dispute the facts of the alleged assault, you could attempt to introduce your own facts that show law enforcement’s version of the events is wrong. Perhaps you were a bystander to the assault that someone else committed and witnesses incorrectly blamed you. Maybe the victim actually had self-inflicted injuries but wanted to blame you and cause trouble for you.
3. Momentary Loss of Control
If someone provoked you into an attack, you may be able to claim that you suddenly lost control of your emotions and reacted violently. Should you suddenly see an emotionally devastating situation, for example, you might lose control.
4. Other Rare Defenses
If your alleged assault involved unusual circumstances, you could use a few other defenses against assault charges in Colorado.
- The other party encouraged you to strike them.
- Someone spiked your food or drink with drugs or alcohol, leaving you unknowingly intoxicated, which contributed to the assault.
- You inadvertently made contact with the other person during an argument, causing a fall.
Such defenses probably would focus on trying to reduce the severity of the charges.
Let Grant & Associates, PC Defend You Against Assault Charges in Colorado
The consequences of a conviction of first-degree assault or second-degree assault can be extensive. Having a strong defense team is vital. The team at Grant & Associates is ready to begin working on your case immediately.
Reach out to us to learn more about how we can defend you against assault charges in Colorado. Call us today at (970) 356-5666 or complete our contact form to set up a free consultation.