A City man was arrested and charged with second degree aggravated assault charges following what authorities are a calling a domestic dispute.
Trenton Man Facing Domestic Violence Aggravated Assault Charges
Officers from the City of Trenton were dispatched to a home on Asbury Street at the end of March to investigate an alleged domestic violence assault. When the officers arrived on scene, they quickly located a women who was allegedly bleeding from her mouth and missing a front tooth. The women indicated that the Defendant, who was her boyfriend at the time, initiated a verbal argument when she arrived home. According to the victim, things quickly escalated and the Defendant punched her in the face with a closed fist, knocking out her front tooth. However, things did not stop there, the Defendant allegedly then through her to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked her.
However, prior to police arriving, the Defendant fled the scene. Based on their observations and the victim’s statement, aggravated assault charges were filed and an arrest warrant was issued for the Defendant. The Defendant was eventually apprehended by the Mount Laurel Police Department on separate charges and was later turned over to the Trenton Police Department. It is unclear at this point whether or not the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office sought to file a Detention Motion or not. If so, the prosecution will be seeking to convince a Judge that the Defendant must be detained in the Mercer County Jail, without bail, pending trial.
2nd Degree Aggravated Assault Charges in Mercer County
All aggravated assault charges will be governed by NJSA 2C:12-1b. Pursuant to the statute, aggravated assault charges can either be considered a second, third or fourth degree felony offense. The type of injury caused or attempted to be caused and the “status” of the victim (i.e. police officer) will determine what degree a Defendant is charged with. To be charged with a second degree aggravated assault charge, the prosecution must be alleging that the Defendant caused or attempted to cause “serious bodily injury”. Pursuant to NJSA 2C:11-1(b), serious bodily injury has been defined as the type of “injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.” This is the highest degree of an assault charge in New Jersey. If convicted under this subsection, a Defendant would be facing anywhere from five to ten years in a State Prison and a fine up to $150,000. In addition, since this offense falls under the No Early Release Act, more commonly referred to as NERA, the Defendant must serve at least 85% of their sentence before the can become eligible for parole. For more information on aggravated assault charges in New Jersey, please click the link.
Domestic Violence Assault Lawyers in Mercer County
Have you been charged with aggravated assault in Mercer County? If so, we strongly recommend that you speak an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. As you can see from above, this is a very serious offense, one that if not handled properly could land a Defendant behind bars for up to a decade. If you would like to discuss your options with of the lawyers at Keith Oliver Criminal Law, then please contact our Hamilton office at 609-789-0779 or you can try contacting us online.
For more information on this incident, please checkout the Trentontian article labeled, Domestic assaults, drugs and thefts: April 3, 2018 Police Blotter.
