What Is A Second Degree Assault in The State of Connecticut?

Have you recently been accused of second degree assault, but still aren’t sure what it means? The entire night of being arrested might go by like a blur, but this makes it all the more important to hire a criminal defense attorney who is experienced with assault allegation. Connecticut, like many other states, classifies assault by degree based on the severity of the injuries, the means that were used to afflict the alleged injury and the accused intent.

When you are accused of assault and are ultimately convicted, this can show up on your record and could cause employers to be hesitant about working with you. You should always take any charge of assault very seriously so that you have a lawyer who can help you.

Knowing the Severity of Your Criminal Charges

Assault in the first degree is the most serious of assault charges in Connecticut. Assault in the second degree, however, is also a felony. Assault in the third degree is only a misdemeanor charge. A person could be accused of committing assault in the second degree, a class D felony if;

He or she intended to cause serious physical injury to a person.
Intended to use a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument to cause injury.
Recklessly causing serious physical injury with a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon.
Assaulted someone while on parole from a correctional institution.
Rendered another person unconscious by striking them on the head.
Intentionally causes unconsciousness, stupor or physical impairment by administering a substance or drug capable of leading to those circumstances.

Hiring the Right Help for Your Criminal Defense

It can be very overwhelming to fight back with criminal charges when you have been accused of assault in the second degree. Remember that you can help yourself by hiring an experienced Connecticut criminal defense attorney who might be able to reduce these charges to assault in the third degree.

Misdemeanor charges carry much less stiff penalties and could enable you to move on with your life more quickly than assault charges in the second or first degree. Do not hesitate to exercise your right to speak to your criminal defense attorney immediately.

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Christopher Llinas

J. Christopher Llinas is a Connecticut criminal defense and immigration attorney with over 25 years of legal experience. He is the founder of Iron Chris Criminal Defense & Immigration, based in Middletown, CT. Chris earned his J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center (now the University of New Hampshire School of Law) in 1997 and holds a B.A., magna cum laude, in English from Salisbury University. During law school he served as a teaching assistant for Civil Procedure and Constitutional Law, and competed in moot court and trial advocacy programs. He began his legal career as an Assistant Public Defender, defending clients in felony, misdemeanor, and traffic matters. He later served as an Assistant State's Attorney, prosecuting criminal and traffic cases — giving him a firsthand understanding of how the prosecution builds its case. He has also served as a law clerk, legal aid attorney, and in-house corporate counsel before dedicating his practice to criminal defense and immigration. Chris is admitted to practice in Connecticut, Maryland, the U.S. District Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the National College of DUI Defense (NCDD), and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). His practice covers DUI and OUI defense, drug charges, weapons charges, violent crimes, juvenile matters, probation violations, federal criminal defense, and immigration removal proceedings throughout Connecticut.