Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Charges
In the state of Missouri, a man or woman may be arrested for any altercation that leads to violence. Regardless of whether you instigated the altercation or merely "fought back"; you may be arrested and charged with a crime. In some cases, the alleged attacker has engaged in little more than a push or the slightest of physical contact. In other cases, the person who is arrested is completely innocent or merely acted in self-defense after they were the victim of a physical attack.
In many cases, the person who calls the police does not want the alleged assailant to be arrested. Rather, they simply want the police to come to their home to help restore peace and avoid any further escalation of a domestic dispute.
Do Not Take These Charges Lightly
If you have been arrested for domestic violence, do not take your charges lightly. Do not assume that the prosecution will drop the charges because your wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend asks them to drop the charges. The prosecution can, and probably will, proceed with charges with or without the victim's consent.
If the alleged victim refuses to cooperate voluntarily, the prosecution can compel the victim to testify through the use of a subpoena. If the victim does not appear at court and testify, they may be arrested for violation of the subpoena.
Get a Vigorous Defense From a Former Prosecutor
To protect your rights, you will need a skilled criminal defense attorney. We can help if you have been charged with domestic assault and battery, child endangerment, child abuse, violation of a restraining order or another domestic violence crime. The founder of The Hammer Law Firm, attorney Mark A. Hammer, was a prosecutor for more than a decade. As a former prosecutor, he understands the criminal justice system from both the prosecution and defense perspectives.
What Can You Expect From Us?
If retained to handle your case, attorney Mark A. Hammer will take time to meet with you personally, listen to what actually happened, review the police reports and communicate with the prosecutor to make certain that they know your side of the story. In many domestic violence cases, the police report conveys a very one-sided view of the incident. All too often, police reports fail to accurately convey the context of what really occurred.
Let us put things in their proper context and provide the vigorous defense you require. If retained to handle your case, we will negotiate with the prosecution on your behalf, and if they are not willing to be reasonable, we will not hesitate to take your case to trial and aggressively defend your rights.
Contact Us
We represent clients in the St. Louis metro area and throughout the state of Missouri. To speak with a criminal defense lawyer at our firm about a domestic violence charge or an arrest for a violation of a restraining order, call 314-266-7821. Feel free to contact us by e-mail as well.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. This disclosure is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Missouri.
