HomeCategoryAssault & Battery Charges Archives - The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer

Probation Before Judgment under Criminal Procedure Article § 6-220 is the disposition most first time assault defendants in St. Mary's County hope for. Successful PBJ closes the case without a conviction record after probation. This guide walks through how PBJ actually works, the eligibility considerations, the mitigation that makes a court grant it, the conditions that follow, and the consequences of a violation that strikes the deferred judgment.

A Lexington Park bar fight ends in thirty seconds and produces an assault case that lasts six months. From the parking lot at closing time to the body camera footage, the bar surveillance video, the witness statements, and the aggressor question under Faulkner, this guide walks through how a Three Notch Road bar fight actually becomes an assault prosecution in Leonardtown District Court, and where the defense finds traction.

Maryland self defense follows the four part test set out in State v. Faulkner: actual belief in imminent danger, reasonable belief, not the aggressor, and reasonable force. Combined with Maryland's general duty to retreat outside the home and the castle doctrine inside it, the structure shapes how every assault defense involving self defense is presented. This guide walks through each element, the burden shifting framework, and the practical considerations specific to St. Mary's County assault cases.

First degree assault in Maryland reaches twenty five years of incarceration. Most people think of the charge in terms of serious physical injury, but Criminal Law § 3-202 has a separate firearm route that produces felony exposure even when no one was hurt and no shot was fired. This guide walks through both routes, the related weapons counts under §§ 4-203 and 4-204 that typically stack on top, and the defense considerations specific to St. Mary's County, including the security clearance implications for the PAX River workforce.

A St. Mary's County domestic violence charge runs on two tracks at once. The criminal case proceeds in District Court under Maryland's standard assault statute, while a civil protective order petition under Family Law moves through interim, temporary, and final hearings on a separate timeline. This guide walks through both tracks, the trap of testifying at the protective order hearing, the federal firearm consequence under the Lautenberg Amendment, and the coordinated defense strategy that protects the defendant on both sides.

When a second degree assault is committed against a law enforcement officer, parole or probation officer, firefighter, EMT, or correctional officer in performance of official duties, and the conduct intentionally causes physical injury, Criminal Law § 3-203(c) elevates the offense to a felony with up to ten years of incarceration. This guide walks through the elements of the felony enhancement, the body camera defense that decides most cases, and the severe collateral consequences that follow conviction.