Domestic Violence Defense Law
Charges of domestic violence must be taken seriously. Sentences for this kind of conviction can include counseling, probation, and the possibility of jail or prison time. Police often will arrest and prosecute domestic violence suspects even when the alleged victim does not wish to press charges. Cohen & Winters provide representation for both the accused as well as the victim/witness in this type of case.
Other serious consequences of domestic violence charges may include:
- “No contact” bail conditions imposed by the judge which prohibit a defendant from returning to their residence, speaking to the alleged victim, or contacting members of the defendant’s family.
- Domestic violence counseling. Judges often order people accused of crimes of domestic violence to undergo counseling that can be expensive and time consuming.
- Firearms. People convicted of crimes of domestic violence will be prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.
Jonathan Cohen and Andrew Winters have extensive experience successfully defending people accused of a range of domestic violence charges. Some of the most common domestic violence charges that Cohen and Winters have handled are:
- Simple assault and more serious assaults
- Criminal threatening
- False imprisonment
- Obstructing the report of a crime
- Violating a restraining order
- Stalking
- Harassment
Sample results:
Case Dismissed: Jonathan Cohen successfully defended a man who was accused of criminally assaulting and threatening his wife. The wife was not cooperative with the police investigation and was upset that the man was arrested in front of their small children. The man had a long-standing dispute with his neighbor who called the police and made the accusations against him. During cross-examination of the neighbor, Cohen was able to convince the judge to dismiss the case with prejudice.
Not Guilty: Andrew Winters represented a man charged with assaulting his ex-wife when she came to pick up their child. Winters convinced the judge that the ex-wife was lying because she knew that if the man was convicted of assault, she could gain full custody of their child.
Case Dismissed: Jonathan Cohen represented a college student accused of assaulting his girlfriend. The student faced a year in jail and possible suspension from college if convicted. His girlfriend did not want to press charges but her roommates, who were also involved in the altercation, did not like the defendant and wanted to testify against him at trial. Cohen convinced the court that one of the roommates might have assaulted the defendant during the altercation and got the charges dismissed.
Conviction of Misdemeanor Only: Andrew Winters represented a man charged with assaulting his girlfriend and threatening her with a gun. Because a gun was involved, Winters’ client faced a minimum of three years in prison if convicted. Winters work in the courtroom convinced the jury to find his client not guilty of the gun charge, and his client was convicted only of a misdemeanor, for which he served less than six months in jail.
Not Guilty: Andrew Winters represented a man charged with violating a restraining order because he visited a soup kitchen where his ex-girlfriend was waiting for food. Winters convinced the judge that his client happened to be in the same place by coincidence, and was not intentionally following his ex-girlfriend.
Here at Cohen & Winters, we defend clients charged with assault, threatening, stalking and more. Contact us for your free consultation today.
