What Should I Do If I’m Accused of Domestic Violence?

Colorado has strict laws against domestic violence, but in Colorado Springs, a domestic violence (DV) charge isn’t a stand-alone offense. Instead, it’s an enhancement to another charge of crimes such as assault, stalking, harassment, or protective order violations. A conviction for DV in Colorado comes with harsh penalties and additional requirements, such as attending domestic violence prevention programs.

Whether the allegation is true or false, if you’ve been charged with a crime and a domestic violence enhancement in Colorado Springs, it’s crucial to take action.

First, Understand the Seriousness of the Charges Against You

Domestic violence charges are no simple matter. A conviction has long-term impacts on all aspects of your life, including your ability to work in certain jobs, your right to own firearms, and even your personal relationships.

From the moment of your arrest, mandatory protective orders are put in place, prohibiting you from contacting the alleged victim or going to their home or workplace. DV convictions also come with jail time, probation, and requirements to attend a domestic violence treatment program. In addition, a conviction could adversely affect a child custody case because the courts make all decisions in a child’s best interests.

What To Do After a Domestic Violence Arrest?

If you’ve been arrested for a crime with a domestic violence enhancement in Colorado Springs, it’s important to do the following:

• First, hire an experienced Colorado criminal defense attorney
• Do not talk to the officers until you’ve spoken to an attorney and your lawyer is present
• Then, attend the bond hearing and any required court appearances
• Comply with the restraining order by avoiding all contact with the alleged victim and their home and workplace
• Allow your attorney to handle any communication with the alleged victim
• Gather any evidence you have, such as text messages, emails, social media posts, or voicemail recordings showing that there was no threat of violence from you and no complaint of violence from the alleged victim
• Compile the names of eyewitnesses to the event, if there were others present, or character witnesses who observed your relationship with the alleged victim
• Any photo or video evidence of the incident showing who started it and what occurred

An assertive criminal defense lawyer will carefully examine the details of your case and develop a strong defense strategy.

Common Defense Strategies in Domestic Violence Cases

Depending on the circumstances of your case and the allegations against you, your Colorado domestic violence attorney will use one of the following common defense strategies:

• Demonstrate through the evidence that the allegations against you are false
• Show that the alleged victim made false allegations for reasons such as to win child custody, or for revenge or malice
• Prove that any physical contact made with the alleged victim was in self-defense
• Show that the prosecution cannot prove the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt

Your Colorado Springs criminal defense attorney will aggressively defend your rights and best interests throughout every step of your case, including trying to get the charges dropped or negotiating for a deferred sentence with anger management or domestic violence counseling instead of jail time. Or, your domestic violence attorney in Colorado Springs will defend your rights in the trial with a well-executed legal strategy.

False allegations of domestic violence can have long-term consequences for your life. It’s crucial to mount an immediate, strong defense with an experienced Colorado Springs criminal defense law firm on your side.