Disorderly Conduct Lawyer St. Louis, MO. If you have ever watched police TV shows like COPS or Live PD, you are probably familiar with someone being charged with disorderly conduct. Most people view it as a “catch-all” charge that law enforcement officers use when someone is acting erratically or lashing out. However, even though disorderly conduct charges may seem like minor ones to the average person, those in St. Louis, MO who are facing them know that they are very serious criminal charges indeed.
Regardless of the circumstances that led to your St. Louis, MO disorderly conduct charges, it is critical that you hire a reputable criminal defense lawyer who can help you fight these charges. Combs Law Group is a highly-reviewed St. Louis criminal defense law firm that consistently delivers the best results possible for their clients. Our firm puts its clients first and devises a personalized legal strategy for all the cases we take. No matter what you have been charged with, the criminal defense attorneys at Combs Law Group will listen to you and fight for your rights. Call us today at (314) 900-HELP to speak with an attorney and set up a free consultation about your St. Louis, MO disorderly conduct case.
Disorderly Conduct in Missouri: What It Is and What Penalties You May Face
As we mentioned before, charges for disorderly conduct stem from a large amount of activities someone might do that can be seen as “disturbing the peace”. Some of the activities that fit under this charge include, but are by no means limited to:
- Disruptive or inconvenient behavior, including loud noises
- Offensive/obscene/racially-insensitve language that has the potential to result in violence (aka “fighting words”)
- Public drunkeness
- Public misconduct
- Engaging in a disruptive protest
- Disturbing an assembly, including religious services
- Fighting in a public place
- Inciting a riot
- Obstructing traffic
- Urinating in public
- Loitering
- Vandalizing an institution (such as a cemetary, school, or place of worship)
Penalties for disorderly conduct charges vary depending on the circumstances that led to the charge. Charges that stemmed from public drunkenness or disturbing the peace, for instance, are prosecuted as class B misdemeanors, with a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, over the past few years as protests relating to racial injustice have become more common in St. Louis, Missouri lawmakers have drastically stiffened penalties for disorderly conduct charges related to rioting or civil disorder. Rioting is now a class A misdemeanor (maximum penalty of a year in jail and a fine of no more than $2,000) and promoting civil disorder is charged as a class D felony, which carries with it up to seven years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
Choose A Reputable St. Louis, MO Criminal Defense Attorney
No matter the circumstances that led to you being charged with disorderly conduct, hiring a criminal defense lawyer in St. Louis is the most important decision you can make regarding your case. You will want to hire an attorney who fights fearlessly and vigorously on your behalf, but also understands your unique situation and regularly keeps you abreast of your case’s progress. In addition, you should look for a law firm in St. Louis, MO with a proven track record of getting optimal outcomes for their clients, and has a sterling reputation both amongst past clients and the Missouri legal community.
Combs Law Group is a criminal defense law firm in St. Louis, MO that checks all those boxes. When you work with our firm, you will always be able to speak directly with an attorney about your case–never a paralegal or an assistant. We work with you to develop a rigorous defense strategy based around the facts of your case and your personal details. Before you contact us for a free, no-obligation document review, we invite you to take a look at some of our previous results and what our clients have had to say about the top-quality experience they had when they worked with Combs Law Group.