Criminal Law
Criminal law is complex, and requires an expert hand to guide you with the best chance of a positive outcome to your court case. Whether you’ve been charged with DUI or DWI, traffic violations, first or second-degree assault, domestic violence or theft, you need a local, Rockville (Montgomery County, MD) criminal attorney at your side that has a good understanding of the local laws and court system.
At Wendy Satin Law, we represent clients with a variety of different criminal charges, and fight to protect your rights in a court of law. Some areas of criminal defense law we handle include:
Second Degree Assault
Second Degree assault is typically a misdemeanor. The criminal act puts another person in fear of imminent bodily harm and/or results in the injury of another person. The injury is not serious or significant enough to classify the incident as a felony First Degree Assault. Second Degree Assault can carry a sentence upon conviction of up to 10 years in prison, and up to a $2,500.0 fine.
First Degree Assault
First degree assault is defined as intentionally causing or attempting to cause serious physical injury to another person. First degree assault also encompasses assaults with weapons such as guns, knives and baseball bats, for example. First degree assault is a felony and can carry up to 25 years in prison.
First and second degree assault case are fact specific. They are often accompanied by charges of Reckless Endangerment, filed by the police and civil Petition for Protective or Peace Orders, filed by the alleged victim.
Domestic Violence
First or second degree assault cases may also be called domestic violence if the incident occurs between spouses, boyfriend/girlfriend or roommates. This is when a Protective Order or Peace Order is often filed simultaneously with the alleged victim swearing out the criminal assault charges. It is not unusual for a Complaint for Absolute Divorce to also be filed shortly following an incident of domestic violence.
Many counties have created domestic violence prosecution teams. These prosecutors focus solely on domestic violence cases, and are often quite aggressive in requesting hefty jail sentences, and other penalties such as fines, supervised probation, anger management classes and counseling.
Theft
Theft is taking the property of another with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of that property. Theft cases include shoplifting, auto theft, burglary and robbery.
If the theft is of goods and/or services with a value of $500.00 or less, the charge is a misdemeanor, and can carry up to 18 months in jail.
If the theft is of goods and/or services with a value of over $500.00, the charge is a felony, and can carry up to 15 years of incarceration.
A misdemeanor or felony theft conviction in Maryland can be considered a “crime of moral turpitude” and can seriously affect ones security clearance, immigration status and employment.