California Violent Crimes Attorney

Are you facing a violent crime charge in California? Get in touch with a California violent crimes attorney who will work hard on your case.

Getting sentenced to a violent crime conviction can alter the course of the rest of your life. You could have to serve years behind bars, pay high penalties, and face a number of other consequences that will make it impossible to lead a normal life.

With the right defense in your corner, however, you can have a better chance of getting your charges reduced or dropped altogether. Research more about violent crimes in California and then contact an experienced California violent crimes attorney for further help.

“I felt like i was in nightmare. Chris literally saved my life.” – Jesus L.

What Are Violent Crimes?

Violent crimes involve threatened or actual violence from one party against another. They can result in serious injury or even death, and carry with them serious penalties under California law. Violent crimes may occur between two adults, an adult and a child, or multiple parties.

Vehicular Manslaughter

Vehicular manslaughter occurs when someone drives recklessly or in a negligent manner and causes the death of someone else. You could be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony since this is what’s called a wobbler offense. It depends on whether you acted in gross negligence or ordinary negligence.

If you’re charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, then you could spend up to one year in county jail. But if you’re charged with felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, then you could spend up to six years in state prison. If you committed ordinary negligence, you could be charged with a misdemeanor and spend up to one year in county jail.

To defend yourself against these charges, you could argue that you did not act out of negligence, or you were driving erratically because you had to respond to an emergency situation.

Child Endangerment

Child endangerment happens when a parent or caregiver places their child in a dangerous situation. Even if the child is left unharmed, a person could still be faced with child endangerment charges. Situations that would apply include leaving a loaded gun out where a child could reach for it or not getting medical treatment for a sick child.

You could be charged with misdemeanor child endangerment if the child was not at risk for great bodily injury or death. This punishment includes up to one year in county jail as well as a fine of up to $1,000. If the child was at risk for great bodily harm or death, then you could receive a misdemeanor or felony charge. If you’re charged with a felony, your punishment could include two, four, or six years in state prison, as well as a fine of up to $10,000. For a misdemeanor or felony conviction, you might have to go on probation, be subject to a restraining order, undergo random drug testing, and be required to attend mandatory counseling.

Defenses include not endangering the child on purpose, a false accusation, or saying that someone else was responsible for the child at the time the incident occurred.

Firearms and Weapons

When you commit a violent crime and use a firearm or weapon in the process, you could be subject to severe penalties. For instance, assault with a deadly weapon can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, and you could go to county jail for up to one year for the former and pay a fine of up to $1,000, and go state prison for up to four years for the latter and pay a fine of up to $10,000. If there is a firearm involved, then the penalties will be much worse.

There are different defenses to firearms and weapons charges, with one of the most common being that you acted out of self-defense and were simply trying to protect yourself from harm.

“From the moment I met Chris, I knew I was in good hands.” – Kevin H.

Arson

Arson involves illegally setting fire to a structure, land, or another type of property, like a car. Committing arson can result in a felony charge in California. The prosecutor has to prove that you acted willfully and maliciously when the arson occurred. The penalties for felony arson are different depending on the circumstances of your case.

For instance, if you engage in malicious arson with your personal property, you could spend 16 months or two or three years behind bars. If your case involves malicious arson and a structure or land, you could go to prison for two, four, or six years. Cases involving an inhabited property or structure could result in three, five, or eight years behind bars, and arson cases involving great bodily injury could lead to five, seven, or nine years in state prison.

When defending yourself against arson charges, you could say that you were not acting maliciously and you did not intend to start a fire.

Elder Abuse

In California, elder abuse is when you neglect or inflict emotional or physical abuse on someone who is 65 years of age or older. It can also include financially exploiting a senior citizen.

This is a wobbler offense, which means it can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony. If you’re charged with a misdemeanor, you could go to county jail for up to one year, and if you’re charged with a felony, you could be sentenced to state prison for up to four years. The prosecutor has to show that you willfully committed elder abuse in order for the charges to be valid.

When defending yourself, you could say that no abuse occurred, you did not act willfully, or the alleged victim is making a false accusation of elder abuse.

Trespassing

Trespassing means you enter or stay on someone’s property without their permission. Usually, it is charged as a misdemeanor and can result in up to six months in county jail and a fine of up to $1,000. If you threaten someone while trespassing or actually harm them, then you could be charged with felony trespassing. You could be sentenced with 16 months or two or three years in prison.

Defenses to trespassing include having the right to be on someone’s property, or not seeing that a property had a sign or a fence up that said, “No trespassing.”

Contact California Violent Crimes Attorney CBS Law

If you’re dealing with violent crimes charges, then it’s time to find a violent crimes attorney in California who will fight for you all the way. That’s Chris Bou Saeed of CBS Law.

When one of Chris Bou Saeed’s clients was faced with assault with a deadly weapon charges and a max incarceration of four years and eight months, he worked hard to get those charges completely dismissed so the client was able to move forward with their life.

Want to learn more about what CBS Law can do for you? Then contact us for your free 60-minute consultation by calling (213) 800-8005 or getting in touch on our website. CBS Law is here for you 24/7, and we’ll work hard on your case to ensure justice is served. We are looking forward to helping you with your violent crimes charges in California.

Do NOT speak to law enforcement or investigators about your violent crimes, as that information can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Christopher J. Bou Saeed Founding Attorney of CBS Law