Los Angeles Criminal Lawyers Blog
A City Attorney Hearing is a good option to help dismiss potential charges against a person who is being charged with Domestic Violence. When a person has been arrested for having potentially committed a criminal offense, it is only an arrest, they have not yet been convicted or formally charged. The arresting officer will prepare a report on the arrest and the probable cause under which he arrested the person. Prosecutors will then review the report and determine if there is adequate evidence to take the matter to court and file formal charges. This is where a City Attorney Hearing can be very beneficial to a person being charged with Domestic Violence.
A City Attorney hearing is a hearing in which a person who may be charged appears at the prosecutors office to discuss the potential charges. Oftentimes the facts are unclear, or there is more information that needs to be sought for a prosecutor to make a determination on charges .Both the person potentially being charged and the victim will appear before the Prosecutor and will tell their side of the story. This will allow the Prosecutor to gather more information to help aid in making a determination of whether domestic violence charges should be filed.
Let’s consider an example. Veronica and David are husband and wife and get into an argument one night. During the argument Veronica asks David to toss her the remote control. David throws it at her intending for it to land near to her on the couch but misses and it hits Veronica in the face. Veronica shortly thereafter decides to cool off and is sitting on the front steps of the home holding a bag of ice to her face to calm the swelling. A neighbor, having heard the yelling and then having seen Veronica outside with the bruise on her face immediately calls the cops. Cops show up and arrest David for domestic violence. Thereafter, both Veronica and David appear at a City Attorney Hearing and tell their sides of the story, both of which corroborate that there was no domestic violence. The prosecutor having asked all the questions he had and gathering the information he needed is satisfied that it was in fact an accident, and there was no intention of harm or injury to the other. He then dismissed the charges.
If formal charges for domestic violence had been filed against David, there could be a lot of consequences to his job, and future employment. This can be very serious. Therefore, it is highly advisable to take every chance and every route possible to avoid charge if at all possible. An experienced and knowledgeable Los Angeles Criminal Defense lawyer can help provide the guidance you need to determine whether charges against you can be dismissed via a City Attorney Hearing. Do not take a risk on something as important as potential criminal charges, do everything you can to ensure the best possible outcome for yourself and your future.