Walk It Through: The Argument That Turned Physical
A shove between partners, a call to police, an arrest, a judge within 24 hours, and the guns in the house.
An argument between partners who live together ends with a shove. A neighbor calls the police.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A first domestic violence arrest at the third degree. Felony degrees, strangulation and a violation of a protection order are on their own pages.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Probable causeThe ground an officer needs to arrest for a felony without a warrant, and the ground a search warrant issues on, supported by an affidavit.
- Search warrantA court order issued on probable cause and an affidavit that particularly describes the property and the place to be searched.
- BailRelease from custody on a judge's order, which a defendant is entitled to as a matter of right before conviction outside the charges listed for a detention hearing.
- Ex parte orderA protection order a court issues at once, without notice or a hearing, when a petition shows abuse has occurred.