Fighting Sexual Assault or Sexual Abuse Charges In Today’s Environment
Have you or a family member been charged with sexual assault or sexual abuse in Missouri? If so you should know that these are very serious charges and they should not be taken lightly. If you’ve been paying attention to the news media lately you have probably noticed that there is a cultural, social, political, and even legal shift in how sexual assault allegations are handled. At Combs Law Group we have always supported the idea that women should be able to come forward and report legitimate sexual assault/sexual abuse allegations to the police. We don’t condone sexual assault or sexual abuse of any kind. However, we believe that sexual assault suspects are entitled to due process, as it’s defined in the constitution of the United States. Sexual assault crimes are no different than other crimes in the sense that not every allegation that is made against a suspect is true. More importantly, someone who is accused of sexual assault is innocent until proven guilty, under the law. That’s an important concept to remember if you are currently facing charges. Just because someone brings forth allegations and the police believe the accuser, doesn’t mean that you are guilty. That’s something that’s getting lost in the current social climate, and that’s unfortunate. Combs Law Group is here to advocate for the innocent people that are falsely accused, so do yourself a big favor and call us today. We will go to bat for you and provide you with the legal guidance you need to fight the allegations.
Sexual Assault/Sexual Abuse Laws In Missouri
In Missouri, sexual assault/sexual abuse is defined as any non-consensual sex act that involves forcing someone into sexual contact. First-degree sexual abuse involves the touching of genitals, anus, or breasts when that person is incapacitated. Second-degree sexual abuse involves the subjecting of sexual contact without consent. So the law prohibits someone from forcing another person into a physical contact of a sexual nature, and if they are incapacitated (or drunk), the law considers that a much more serious offense.
Sexual Assault/Sexual Abuse Penalties In Missouri
If you’re convicted of sexual abuse in the first degree in Missouri you could be facing a class A felony, whereas a second-degree sexual abuse conviction would bring a class C misdemeanor. The first-degree sexual abuse conviction could result in a prison term of up to 30 years. Whereas the second-degree sexual abuse can result in 6-month jail terms and up to $1000 in fines.
What to do when you’re accused of sexual assault
The statistics show that 60% of sexual assault crimes go unreported. Because the social climate has changed over the last 2 years you can expect that more and more women will be coming forward to report their sexual assault experiences. Again, we think this is a good thing. However, there is going to be many women that come forward with false allegations. Either because they are trying to hurt the other accused (example: ex-girlfriend), or because they interpreted the events differently years later. Most sexual assault cases are not so cut and dry, so you will typically find that you have two people with two very different stories on what happened. If you’re accused of sexual assault, and then ultimately charged, you should be prepared to defend yourself. What you do will depend highly on the circumstances of the allegations and your particular situation. However, the first thing you should do is keep quiet and call a lawyer who knows how to defend sexual assault cases. Combs Law Group has the expertise to do just that, and there are some other law firms in the area that have this type of expertise. Sexual abuse/assault cases require a law firm that knows how to create a legal strategy that mitigates the charges and the evidence. Many cases are built on weak physical evidence and it can be solely built on the credibility of the accuser. Which can be a difficult problem to address because as a society we have essentially given the accuser a pass when it comes to questioning them on their accusations. But there is a delicate way to do that and we at Combs Law Group are equipped to do it.
Getting Your Life Back To Normal
When someone accuses you of sexual assault of any kind your life will be turned upside down immediately. Your character and reputation will be damaged regardless of whether the charges are true or not. The only way to repair those things is to fight the charges aggressively from day one. That’s where we come in and create a criminal defense strategy that looks to exonerate you 100% for the sexual assault charges. If we are able to get the charged dismissed or dropped, you will then be able to get your life back on track. If we have to fight the charges in court we will do so, but either way, we will work diligently to help you repair your reputation and protect you from legal ramifications. Don’t let someone’s false allegations ruin your reputation. Call us today at 314-578-1465 and we’ll go to work for you right away.
