There are three elements that must be met to be charged with assault on a female. The first element is that an assault must have occurred. This element overlaps with other assault chargers, but the next two elements are what differentiate assault on a female from other assaults. The second is that the assault has to have been upon a female. Lastly, the assault must have been committed by a male who is at least eighteen years old.
An assault charge can lead to either a felony or a misdemeanor conviction. North Carolina structures misdemeanors into four different categories. Class A1 are the most serious types of misdemeanors, and crimes are further broken down into Classes 1, 2, and 3, with Class 3 being the least serious. According to North Carolina’s General Statutes a person convicted of a simple assault is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. Whereas, a person convicted of assault on a female is guilty of a Class A1 misdemeanor. This is an important distinction because a class A1 misdemeanor can carry up to a 150-day jail sentence. This could mean serving an active jail sentence, even with no prior conviction.
An assault on a female can also carry different consequences than an ordinary assault charge. An assault on a female is considered to be a crime of domestic violence. This can have repercussions for your right to own a firearm, be listed on your criminal record as a crime of domestic violence, and could have serious implications to your current or future jobs.
If you need legal advice or representation for an assault on a female charge, please contact one of our lawyers at Jetton & Meredith. Our lawyers have extensive knowledge and experience dealing with these charges.