Arizona Assault Laws

Being charged with assault in Arizona can have devastating effects. Even a misdemeanor conviction for assault can result in jail time, probation, expensive counseling and possibly the loss of your right to bear arms. If you’re facing a felony assault charge, you also face the possibility of a lengthy prison term.

Misdemeanor assault means an act of violence against another person – even if no physical contact is made, as even just the “threat” of bodily harm can cause you to be charged with assault if the person had a reasonable fear of injury.

Felony assault is much more serious. However, to prove felony assault, the prosecution must be able to prove (1) your ability to cause harm; (2) your attempt to cause harm; (3) your intent to cause harm; and (4) the actual action of causing harm. Felony assault doesn’t always involve a weapon. If a weapon is used in an assault, your actions will still be charged as a felony even if the injury was unintentional or merely attempted or threatened.

Owens & Perkins has experienced, aggressive criminal attorneys to represent you in misdemeanor or felony assault cases. We’ll thoroughly investigate the charges against you, interview witnesses, review the police reports, and inspect all of the physical evidence. We’ll evaluate the strength of the case against you and develop any and all potential defenses that might be available to you.

There are times when someone is charged with assault when they were actually just defending themselves or others, but are still charged. In these situations we’ll aggressively fight to show you were acting in self-defense or the defense of others or property and did not break the law. Once we complete our investigation, we’ll discuss the outcome with you, and together decide on the best course of action.

If you’re innocent or there are solid defenses to the charges, we may decide to take your case to trial. If so, we’ll file any Pre-Trial Motions to try to limit the evidence that may be admissible against you. Sometimes, if the State has a strong case, the best strategy may be to negotiate with the Prosecutor for the best possible deal. This includes gathering and presenting our evidence to the Prosecutor and, when possible, seeking to achieve a deal that avoids or reduces jail time or even avoids a criminal conviction. This includes showing any weakness in the Prosecution’s case as well as evidence of your good character.

Call (480) 994-8824 today to speak with one of our Scottsdale criminal defense attorneys.