Domestic Violence in Washington State is not in-and-of-itself a crime – it is a reference to a threat, robbery, child abuse, spousal abuse, or other “criminal act” committed by one member of a household, or family member, against another member of a household, or family member. For example, domestic violence assault (DV Assault) is an “assault” committed against a person’s family or household member; it can be as simple as a push or as severe as spousal rape.
A Family and/or household member includes:
- Persons who are now, or have been in the past, married or live(d) together;
- Persons who have been, or are presently, dating;
- Persons who have a child in common;
- A parent, or a child;
- A step-parent, or a step-child;
- A grandparent, or a grandchild (including a step-grandparent); and
- Siblings
Consequences of a Washington State Domestic Violence Related Charge:
An angry, frightened and/or stressed telephone call to law enforcement from a household member can change an individual’s life forever. Domestic violence, which can be added to any type of criminal charge, may force you to: (1) have to leave your home, (2) limit your access to your children, (3) make it difficult to rent an apartment, (4) cause you to lose your right to possess a firearm, and (5) make it exceedingly difficult to retain or otherwise get a job.
Although domestic violence is a very real, and serious problem in the State of Washington, the criminal defense attorneys at SQ Attorneys have frequently found that loved ones call police when they are upset or angry, but at a time when they did not actually have a reasonable fear of injury; they simply wanted to stop an argument and did not understand the actual impact the telephone call would have due to the domestic violence laws in the State of Washington. Some people seek legal help to have the domestic violence related charge against their husband, wife, or other “household member” dropped, because they have found that the police and/or the prosecutor simply refuse to dismiss the case.
The criminal defense attorneys that make up the Criminal Defense Team at SQ Attorneys is highly skilled and experienced to provide aggressive representation for those charged with domestic violence in Washington State. The team not only works with alleged victims to develop a relationship and to encourage communication, but the team also works with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the case are considered, including law abiding behavior after the charge(s) was filed.
