Charged With Aggravated Assault in North Brunswick New Jersey
North Brunswick is a great place to live and work although this Middlesex County municipality has its share of conflict just like you would expect in any town of 40,000 or so residents. When a verbal disagreement with a family member, a co-worker or a complete stranger escalates into a physical confrontation, the result can be an aggravated assault charge in North Brunswick. Aggravated assault is a very serious criminal offense. New Jersey classifies it as an indictable offense, which is the equivalent of what other states classify as a felony. Your life could be ruined as you are led off to jail and face a long prison sentence and a criminal record that stays with you for the rest of your life.
You need a criminal defense attorney capable of preventing a poor decision on your part or a misunderstanding from ruining your life. The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall has an accomplished aggravated assault lawyer with the skills and knowledge to aggressively represent and protect you. Our attorneys are outstanding at what they do because they limit their practice to criminal defense in the municipal and superior courts. Several of the lawyers at the firm are former prosecutors, including one who served as a prosecutor in the North Brunswick. Contact our New Brunswick office now at (732) 246-7126 for a free consultation.
North Brunswick Aggravated Assault Charge
Aggravated assault is a crime according to N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b), which allows police and prosecutors to charge someone with indictable offenses ranging from crimes of the fourth degree all the way up to crimes of the second degree depending upon the facts and circumstances of each case. The three classifications of aggravated assault each have their own elements that must be supported by the facts and the evidence as follows:
- Crime of the fourth degree: This involves recklessly causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon, but it could also involve pointing a firearm at another person, even if it is not loaded and no one is injured. N.J.S.A. 2C:2-2(b)(3) defines reckless conduct as acting in a manner disregarding a substantial or unjustifiable risk of which you are aware. For example, if you are firing a gun at a target you set up in the woods without noticing there is a road a short distance away in the direction you are shooting, injuring someone in passing vehicle you could be charged even though you did not intend to hit anyone. A fourth degree aggravated assault may also result from a simple assault on a North Brunswick Police Officer where no bodily injury sustained by the victim.
- Crime of the third degree: Causing or attempting to cause bodily injury to another person while you are displaying a deadly weapon is aggravated assault. This conduct is punished more severely because causing the injury was intentional as opposed to reckless. Committing a simple assault on a police officer is also a third degree crime when the victim suffers bodily injury.
- Crime of the second degree: Attempting to cause serious bodily injury to another person; causing serious bodily injury purposely or knowingly; or recklessly causing serious bodily injury with extreme indifference to human life elevate the classification of aggravated assault to the more severe crime of the second degree.
- Simple assault, which is disorderly persons offenses and punished much less severely than an indictable offense, can become a crime of the third degree when the victim is a police officer, firefighter or other person designated in N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b)(5). For more detailed information on this subject, refer to our aggravated assault on a police officer page.
Penalties for Committing Aggravated Assault in North Brunswick
Penalties are harsh for an aggravated assault. The fines and prison sentences depend upon the degree of the crime as follows:
- Crime of the second degree: Punishable by five to 10 years in prison and fines up to $150,000.
- Crime of the third degree: Punishable by three to five years in state prison and fines up to $15,000.
- Crime of the fourth degree: Punishable by up to 18 months in prison and fines up to $10,000.
Even after you serve your sentence, you cannot escape from the stigma of a criminal conviction. A conviction for committing an indictable offense leaves you with what would be a felony record in other states. The name might be different in New Jersey, but the effect it has on your life is the same. Many employers might not admit it publicly, but they avoid hiring people with criminal records, particularly when it is a crime involving physical violence.
A potential option for avoiding prosecution for aggravated assault in North Brunswick is Pretrial Intervention. This program allows a defendant to escape a conviction and penalties if they are a first time offender who qualifies for and completes a period probation.
Aggravated Assault Defense Attorney
The North Brunswick aggravated assault lawyers at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall fight hard when your freedom is at stake. Our attorneys comb through the evidence and the facts to identify defenses, such as self-defense, to challenge the prosecution’s case and win a dismissal, a reduction in charges or other favorable result. An attorney is available around the clock to assist you. Contact us today at (732) 246-7126 to speak to a lawyer on our team immediately.
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