Violent Crimes or Dangerous Offenses
Arizona Dangerous Crime Defense Lawyers
Penalties for dangerous offense convictions are serious, severe, and strict. It is crucial to have an experienced criminal defense lawyer immediately to ensure your rights are protected and help you prepare for your defense. The law office of Shell & Nermyr PLLC, is a professional team of criminal defense lawyers prepared to protect your future.
Contact our criminal defense attorneys for experienced representation in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria, Gilbert, and surrounding communities.
Addition of Dangerous Offense Charges
A dangerous offense charge can be added to nearly any criminal charge, ranging from assault and theft to sex offenses. Dangerous crimes may include:
- Crimes allegedly committed with a deadly weapon
- Crimes allegedly committed with a dangerous instrument
- Anything can be construed as a dangerous instrument. In Arizona the term Dangerous Instrument is defined as: "Dangerous instrument" means anything that under the circumstances in which it is used, attempted to be used or threatened to be used is readily capable of causing death or serious physical injury.
- Crimes that cause a serious physical injury
- It doesn’t take a gunshot wound or stab wound to be considered a serious injury. In Arizona the term Dangerous Instrument is defined as: "Serious physical injury" includes physical injury that creates a reasonable risk of death, or that causes serious and permanent disfigurement, serious impairment of health or loss or protracted impairment of the function of any bodily organ or limb.
The addition of a dangerous offense allegation to any criminal charge is significant and will have a severe impact on the individual's life if not properly handled. There is no eligibility for probation. Therefore, the entire sentence must be served in prison. For example, offenses committed with a gun, knife, baseball bat, beer bottle, brass knuckles, car, or even a stick can result in prison time.
Defense of Dangerous Crime Charges in Arizona
It is important to speak with an attorney who has specific experience defending clients charged for dangerous offenses. The Arizona, law firm of Shell & Nermyr PLLC has the experience, reputation, and knowledge to provide the best defense. Our dangerous crimes attorneys understand effective defense strategies and techniques. We often are able to work with the police and prosecutor before charges are filed to prevent the addition of a dangerous offense allegation. If your attorney does not have a reputation that the prosecutor or police respect, it will be next to impossible to avoid a dangerous allegation. If however you have an attorney from Shell & Nermyr you will have an attorney with the respect of all executive and judicial branches of government.
If you have been charged or may soon be charged with a dangerous offense, such as aggravated assault, speak with our office about an effective defense strategy. Contact our dangerous crimes defense lawyers for a free confidential consultation.
SHELL & NERMYR PLLC
Weekend and Evening Appointments Available
Affordable payment plans available
90 South Kyrene Road Suite 1
Chandler Arizona 85226
(602) 745 1211
(480) 775 4800
The attorneys at Shell & Nermyr have obtained not guilty verdicts for many people charged with aggravated assault. The attorneys at Shell & Nermyr have convinced many county prosecutors to dismiss countless cases in which our clients were charged with aggravated assault.
It is almost always in a person’s best interest to not talk to police when the police are investigating a person. Every person in the United States, whether they are a citizen or not, has the right to remain silent. In order to invoke your right to remain silent you must be clear and state “I want to remain silent” or “I do not want to answer any questions”. The best thing to say is “I want my lawyer present before I answer any questions".
If a person is convicted of aggravated assault that person often times is facing a prison sentence. However, in some cases a person may be granted probation.
If a person is charged with or even thinks that they may be charged with aggravated assault it is very important to retain an attorney as quickly as possible. The lawyers at Shell & Nermyr will aggressively represent every client that is charged with a crime.
By far the most common crime that is alleged to have been committed dangerous is aggravated assault. Aggravated assault is nothing more than a simple assault allegedly committed with a weapon or resulting in serious injury. Below is the language that a judge reads to the jury in an aggravated assault trial. It encompasses what the state must prove in order to convict a person of aggravated assault. The lawyers at Shell & Nermyr have won numerous aggravated assault trials and have gotten even more dismissed.
Aggravated Assault
Aggravated assault requires proof of the following two things:
1. A person committed an assault, which requires proof that:
a person intentionally knowingly or recklessly caused a physical injury to another person; or
a person intentionally put another person in reasonable apprehension of immediate physical injury; or
a person knowingly touched another person with the intent to injure, insult, or provoke that person; and
2. The assault was aggravated by at least one of the following factors:
a person caused serious physical injury to another person; or
a person used a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument; or
a person committed the assault after entering another's home with the intent to commit the assault; or
a person was eighteen years of age or older and the person assaulted had not reached his / her sixteenth birthday; or
a person knew or had reason to know that the person assaulted was a peace officer or someone directed by a peace officer performing official duties; or
the person assaulted was physically restrained; or
the assaulted person's ability to resist was substantially impaired; or
a person was a prisoner in a custodial institution and assaulted a person known to be an employee of the custodial institution
The law for aggravated assault in Arizona is Arizona Revised Statute 13-1204
13-1204. Aggravated assault; classification; definition
A. A person commits aggravated assault if the person commits assault as prescribed by section 13-1203 under any of the following circumstances:
1. If the person causes serious physical injury to another.
2. If the person uses a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.
3. If the person commits the assault by any means of force that causes temporary but substantial disfigurement, temporary but substantial loss or impairment of any body organ or part or a fracture of any body part.
4. If the person commits the assault while the victim is bound or otherwise physically restrained or while the victim's capacity to resist is substantially impaired.
5. If the person commits the assault after entering the private home of another with the intent to commit the assault.
6. If the person is eighteen years of age or older and commits the assault on a child who is fifteen years of age or under.
7. If the person commits assault as prescribed by section 13-1203, subsection A, paragraph 1 or 3 and the person is in violation of an order of protection issued against the person pursuant to section 13-3602 or 13-3624.
8. If the person commits the assault knowing or having reason to know that the victim is any of the following:
(a) A peace officer, or a person summoned and directed by the officer while engaged in the execution of any official duties.
(b) A firefighter, fire investigator, fire inspector, emergency medical technician or paramedic engaged in the execution of any official duties, or a person summoned and directed by such individual while engaged in the execution of any official duties.
(c) A teacher or other person employed by any school and the teacher or other employee is on the grounds of a school or grounds adjacent to the school or is in any part of a building or vehicle used for school purposes, any teacher or school nurse visiting a private home in the course of the teacher's or nurse's professional duties or any teacher engaged in any authorized and organized classroom activity held on other than school grounds.
(d) A licensed health care practitioner who is certified or licensed pursuant to title 32, chapter 13, 15, 17 or 25, or a person summoned and directed by the licensed health care practitioner while engaged in the person's professional duties. This subdivision does not apply if the person who commits the assault is seriously mentally ill, as defined in section 36-550, or is afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.
(e) A prosecutor.
9. If the person knowingly takes or attempts to exercise control over any of the following:
(a) A peace officer's or other officer's firearm and the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or other officer employed by one of the agencies listed in paragraph 10, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) of this subsection and is engaged in the execution of any official duties.
(b) Any weapon other than a firearm that is being used by a peace officer or other officer or that the officer is attempting to use, and the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or other officer employed by one of the agencies listed in paragraph 10, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) of this subsection and is engaged in the execution of any official duties.
(c) Any implement that is being used by a peace officer or other officer or that the officer is attempting to use, and the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or other officer employed by one of the agencies listed in paragraph 10, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) of this subsection and is engaged in the execution of any official duties. For the purposes of this paragraph, "implement" means an object that is designed for or that is capable of restraining or injuring an individual. Implement does not include handcuffs.
10. If the person meets both of the following conditions:
(a) Is imprisoned or otherwise subject to the custody of any of the following:
(i) The state department of corrections.
(ii) The department of juvenile corrections.
(iii) A law enforcement agency.
(iv) A county or city jail or an adult or juvenile detention facility of a city or county.
(v) Any other entity that is contracting with the state department of corrections, the department of juvenile corrections, a law enforcement agency, another state, any private correctional facility, a county, a city or the federal bureau of prisons or other federal agency that has responsibility for sentenced or unsentenced prisoners.
(b) Commits an assault knowing or having reason to know that the victim is acting in an official capacity as an employee of any of the entities listed in subdivision (a) of this paragraph.
B. Except pursuant to subsections C and D of this section, aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 or paragraph 9, subdivision (a) of this section is a class 3 felony except if the victim is under fifteen years of age in which case it is a class 2 felony punishable pursuant to section 13-604.01. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section is a class 4 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 9, subdivision (b) or paragraph 10 of this section is a class 5 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 or paragraph 9, subdivision (c) of this section is a class 6 felony.
C. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section committed on a peace officer while the officer is engaged in the execution of any official duties is a class 2 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section committed on a peace officer while the officer is engaged in the execution of any official duties is a class 3 felony. Aggravated assault pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 8, subdivision (a) of this section resulting in any physical injury to a peace officer while the officer is engaged in the execution of any official duties is a class 5 felony.
D. Aggravated assault pursuant to:
1. Subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section is a class 2 felony if committed on a prosecutor.
2. Subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section is a class 3 felony if committed on a prosecutor.
3. Subsection A, paragraph 8, subdivision (e) of this section is a class 5 felony if the assault results in physical injury to a prosecutor.
E. For the purposes of this section, "prosecutor" means a county attorney, a municipal prosecutor or the attorney general and includes an assistant or deputy county attorney, municipal prosecutor or attorney general.
SHELL & NERMYR PLLC
Weekend and Evening Appointments Available
Affordable payment plans available
90 South Kyrene Road Suite 1
Chandler Arizona 85226
(602) 745 1211
(480) 775 4800
|