If you have ever gotten into an argument with your Partner? Has it turned “heated” sometimes. Have you and your girlfriend or boyfriend, brother or sister, son, daughter, or parent been so angry at each other that one or both of you do something you immediately regret? Has it ever resulted in someone calling the police? If so, I’ll bet you never thought somebody would actually be arrested and hauled off to jail, did you? You just wanted the police to come and calm things down, cool things off, right? Then you found out the hard way that that is not a police officer’s job, and they are not your friends, didn’t you? “BUT I DON’T WANNA PRESS CHARGES,” you scream, only to find out that that’s just “talk.” Well, you’re not alone. It happens every single day.
Atlanta considers domestic violence to be any acts of unwarranted aggression between married or formerly married couples, boyfriends and girlfriends (if they live together, or if they don’t live together but have children together – baby-mamas and baby-daddys), parents and children (including step or foster parents and step or foster children), and siblings; really, pretty much anyone in a domestic relationship.
“I don’t want to press charges.” This is common in domestic or family violence cases and other types of cases involving altercations or interactions (battery, property damage, thefts, frauds, etc.) between people who, once things have calmed down, feel like the whole thing was a misunderstanding and wish they could just handle it between themselves without someone being prosecuted. My answer is always the same: that’s too bad; you are not the one “pressing” the charges; and stop watching cop shows to learn how the law works.
As private citizens, we don’t have that power. The representatives, prosecutors, for the State do. Once you get the police involved and they make an arrest, the State is the only one that can decide whether or not to prosecute the case. We can certainly assist them in their decision by telling them our side of the story. But most of the time, that doesn’t matter. Their job is to prosecute the cases that the police investigate. That being said, the first seven to ten seconds of Law And Order is really the only useful part of the show.
If you or someone you know has been arrested in Atlanta on a Family Violence Charge, you are going to need an Attorney right away. Contact the Howard Law Group. It is very important that we get engaged in the case right away.
