Domestic Violence or Domestic Abuse is generally an assault or battery on a family member or individuals who live in the home and can create minimum sentencing requirements under the law. Florida Statutes define the relationship between the accused and the alleged victim that will trigger minimum sentencing requirements for domestic abuse. An experienced local attorney in St Augustine can help explain these sentencing requirements and can attempt to negotiate with the prosecutor for a reduction or modification of the charge to avoid any minimum sentencing requirements.

A sex offense is generally an assault or battery that is sexually motivated and/or involves touching of a sexual organ. This is commonly referred to as rape. Specific sexual offenses are defined by Florida Statutes and subject the accused to a wide range of penalties. The age of both the accused and victim, whether there was penetration or contact with a sexual organ, use or possession of a weapon, prior convictions, and the extent of injury are all factors that determine the potential sentence for a sex offense. A conviction for a sexual offense can require sex offender or sexual predator registration for a lifetime. This list shows your home address in St Augustine or St Johns County, what crime was committed, and your picture. A conviction can result in lifetime civil commitment as a sexually violent predator in a collateral proceeding from the criminal case. A conviction for a sexual offense can result in a lengthy prison sentence. These offenses often involve technical forensic evidence such as crime scene collection and storage, evidence transmission to outside agencies, DNA evidence, and medical/anatomical evidence. Sexual offenses often involve the admission of evidence of prior conduct on unrelated individuals that would not otherwise be admissible. Sexual offenses often involve the testimony of children and professional opinions alluding to the credibility of a child’s testimony. There are certain legal exceptions to the Rules of Evidence when child witnesses are involved in a criminal case. It is vital to hire an attorney with experience in the legal nuances of sexual offenses including sentencing, technical evidence, child witnesses, and collateral consequences. If you or a family member has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation, lewd and lascivious battery, sexual battery, or possession of child pornography call the office of Christina Opsahl today to start your case.