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Domestic violence crimes are prosecuted vigorously by the State and cities in Washington, and you can count on having a team of prosecutors and domestic violence victim advocates lined up against you. For you to have a chance, you need an experienced attorney who knows how to craft your defense and assemble a "team" of investigators and experts in order to successfully defend you.
Domestic Violence ( See statutory definition in Washington'sDomestic Violence Prevention Chapter ) is a classification given to a crime when committed by one family member against another, including, but not limited to, assault, criminal trespass, unlawful imprisonment, and violation of a restraining order. The term "family member" is broadly defined as spouses, former spouses, couples with a child in common regardless of whether they are married or living together, adults who are currently living together or who have lived together in the past, and anyone with a biological or legal parent-child relationship, including stepparents and stepchildren and grandparents and grandchildren.
When a police officer responds to a domestic violence call, he or she must arrest the primary aggressor, if still present and the alleged assault occurred within the preceding four hours. If the officer does not exercise arrest powers, he or she must notify the victim of the victim's right to initiate a criminal proceeding. The victim may also petition Superior, Municipal or District Court to request a protective order. Courts have broad authority to restrain a person accused of domestic violence, including the power to: restraining the abuser from further acts of abuse; ordering the abuser to leave the household; preventing the abuser from entering your residence, school, business, or place of employment; or to preventing the abuser from contacting or exercising custodial rights of minor children within the household.
Relevant domestic violence statutes:
10.31.100
10.99.030
26.50.010
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