When a person is charged with assault in Connecticut, they may be subject to serious penalties that can affect them for the rest of their life. When you are charged with assault, there are three degrees of which the charge can fall under.
Third degree assault is the least severe of the three. A person can be charged with third degree assault if they purposefully intend to injure another person, if they injury another person through reckless conduct, and if they use a deadly weapon negligently that results in injury. If charged with third degree assault, you will face up to $2,000 in fines as well as up to one year in prison. Third degree assaults are Class A misdemeanors.
Even more serious is a second degree assault charge, which is considered a Class D felony. This charge will be administered if you intentionally injure another person, if you assault a person with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, if you intentionally drug another person that causes impairment, and if you injure another person with a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Anyone with this charge will face up to 5 years in prison as well as up to $5,000 in fines.
The most serious of the three assault charges is first degree assault. This Class B felony is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars and up to $15,000 in fines. In order to be charged with this crime, you would have to injure a person with a firearm, combine the efforts of two or more people to intentionally injure someone, intend to permanently disfigure a person, use a deadly weapon during the assault, or act so recklessly that another person could be killed or seriously injured.
Marc N. Needelman is an experienced Criminal Law Attorney, working throughout the state of Connecticut. Contact the law firm to speak with an experienced lawyer and set up a free initial consultation.
