Criminal Practice

Keyser Law Firm practices exclusively criminal defense and immigration law. Our dedication and commitment to client service continuously results in criminal charges being dismissed or reduced and immigrants finding a legal pathway to the United States.

Assaults

Minnesota Assault Defense Lawyer
Minneapolis Assault, Battery and Domestic Violence Assault Attorney

“Assault” refers to the act of physical contacting another person causing bodily harm but it can also include an act causing “fear” in another person, with no actual physical touching.

Acts commonly associated with an assault charge include hitting, pushing or shoving a person, grabbing a person’s arm or body, engaging in a bar fight, using an object to strike someone, intimidating or threatening someone, touching a person without consent (sexual or non-sexual), verbally or emotionally abusing someone with violent intentions, putting something in a person’s drink such as a date-rape drug or knowingly transmitting a disease to another.

Keyser Law Firm and its Minnesota Assault Lawyers have successfully dismissed charges, reduced charges and eliminated incarceration time for clients charged with assault, domestic assault, assault by strangulation and interference with a 911 call.

Minnesota Assault Conviction Penalties

If convicted of an assault charge, a defendant can face between 90 days in jail to 20 years in prison, depending on the severity level of the alleged offense. In Minnesota, there are six different assault charges:

First-Degree Assault (maximum of 20 years imprisonment and/or a $30,000 fine)
Second-Degree Assault (maximum of 7 years imprisonment and/or a $14,000 fine)
Third-Degree Assault (maximum of 5 years imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine)
Fourth-Degree Assault (maximum of 1 year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine)
Fifth-Degree Assault (maximum of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000)
Domestic Assault (maximum of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine)

Factors increasing these maximum sentences include:

Whether an alleged incident involves the use of a weapon, such as a gun or knife
Whether there was substantial bodily harm to the alleged victim
Whether the defendant has prior assault convictions

Additional Minnesota Assault Resources

To learn more about assault laws in Minnesota, read our blog article on domestic assault.

Assault Defense Attorney in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

Our law firm understands that assault, domestic assault, battery and domestic violence charges are often unjustified or result from a misunderstanding. We understand that police reports can be inaccurate and that you have a good explanation for what happened. Sometimes a heated dispute with a spouse or domestic partner can be taken out of context. Sometimes a simple misunderstanding at a bar or club can turn into unwarranted assault allegations. And sometimes the police simply refuse to listen to your side of the story before arresting you. We understand these errors happen and our Minneapolis assault defense attorney will help you tell your side of the story.