A recent item about dropped charges for an Orange County prosecutor caught our eyes as Long Beach domestic violence criminal defense attorneys. The OC Register reported March 9 that no charges will be filed against David Brent and Roshawn Jolancia Brent in connection with a fight they had in the parking lot of Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach. David Brent, 53, is an experienced Assistant Deputy District Attorney in Orange County. Among his cases was the prosecution of Alejandro Avila, who was accused of killing five-year-old Samantha Runnion. Because he works for the prosecutor in the county where the arrest occurred, the case was handed over to the state Attorney General's office. It announced Tuesday that it will not file charges.
The Brents' fight took place on Christmas of last year and reportedly had to do with a gift. According to the article, Roshawn Brent, 27, made an emergency call at around 11 p.m., saying her husband had hit her. Police responded, but found that David Brent had already left the scene, taking the keys to the couple's car but not the car itself. After an investigation, the police arrested Roshawn Brent. They then found David Brent on foot and arrested him as well. Both arrests were on suspicion of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse. The Attorney General's office did not explain why it chose not to pursue a case. David Brent released a statement on behalf of both parties saying they were grateful the office found that they had done nothing wrong.
From the article, there's no way to say whether the Attorney General's office made the right call. But as Orange domestic violence criminal defense lawyers, we know that police officers tend to make arrests hastily in suspected domestic violence cases. The police see plenty of real domestic violence, so they may jump to conclusions if they think a fight got physical. Officers may also make arrests to give everyone a "cooling off" period. Unfortunately, this can have serious real-world consequences. A conviction for domestic violence means a new and sometimes large set of legal problems, including restraining orders and child custody problems as well as jail and fines. In cases like this, where the couple may just have had a bad night, this is severe overkill.
Not every domestic violence defendant in southern California has the public status of a top prosecutor. But every defendant has the right to mount a strong defense, which is why you should call Howard Law, P.C. as soon as you are charged with a domestic violence offense. In cases of simple misunderstandings, our San Juan Capistrano domestic violence defense attorneys can start your defense right away, by negotiating with prosecutors to keep charges from ever being filed. If that's not possible, we can usually find strong defenses to domestic violence charges. Most of these crimes pit one person's word against another's, which means the evidence may be weak. Whenever possible, we challenge that weak evidence using the true facts and circumstances of the incident.
If you're facing spousal abuse, domestic violence or child abuse charges in California, don't wait to contact Howard Law, P.C. for help. To learn more or set up a free consultation, call us toll-free at 1-800-872-5925 or contact us through the Internet.
