Wisconsin breaks down criminal punishments by felonies and misdemeanors, and then with letter classifications. Class A misdemeanors are the most serious non-felony charges in Wisconsin. If you’re convicted of a Class A misdemeanor, you face a maximum penalty of 9 months in jail, a $10,000.00 fine, or both (Wis. Stat. sec. 939.51). This is certainly a significant maximum penalty. At Van Severen Law Office we believe hiring a criminal defense attorney is certainly a crucial part of your defense.
Anything above a Class A misdemeanor is a felony. A small number of offenses are unspecified misdemeanors. The statute prohibiting the underlying conduct generally also indicates the penalty. Finally, they carry anywhere up to 12 months in jail as punishment.
Domestic Violence Class A misdemeanors
Remember, any domestic violence conviction, whether misdemeanor or felony, carries with it a lifetime firearm prohibition. If you’re convicted of any domestic violence misdemeanor, you absolutely cannot possess a firearm for the rest of your life. And there’s no back-door way to restore those rights. Because of the additional penalties associated with domestic violence convictions, these charges are certainly even more important to fight.
And remember: domestic violence charges are surely status offenses. It’s because you are or were married to the victim, have a child together, or lived together that your charges become domestic violence. Domestic violence charges are frequently based on Class A misdemeanors.
Examples of Class A misdemeanors:
There’s a significant list of Class A misdemeanors in Wisconsin. Here is a list of a few:
A criminal defense lawyer explains criminal misdemeanor penalties in Wisconsin. For questions call Van Severen Law Office at (414) 270-0202.
How do we defend your criminal case?
All criminal cases, including Class A misdemeanors, are different. And that certainly means that defending every criminal case is different. If you are charged with 4th degree sexual assault and gave a statement, we may have more issues than a misdemeanor battery without a statement. For example, in the sexual assault case we may file a Miranda Goodchild motion challenging the admissibility of your statement. Or we may file a Shiffra Green motion seeking the admission of the alleged victim’s psychological records. There may certainly be other motions, such as those challenging search warrants, the stop of your vehicle, or other issues.
And finally, you maintain your right to a jury trial. If you are not guilty you should not accept a plea. Our criminal defense lawyers regularly proceed to trial on all criminal cases, including Class A misdemeanors. We employ numerous strategies while defending cases at trial.
What if I’m convicted of a Class A misdemeanor?
Hopefully we can avoid a criminal conviction. Hiring a top criminal defense attorney certainly decreases the chance of conviction. But what if you walk away and you’re convicted?
Depending upon your criminal record, frequently Class A misdemeanor convictions don’t automatically result in a jail sentence. At the time of sentencing for any kind of a criminal conviction, the judge must consider probation. Probation is a program that allows for defendants to satisfy certain conditions (like sobriety, no contact with the victim) and avoid incarceration. Generally, defendants convicted of lower-level felonies and misdemeanors receive probation. The chance of probation decreases as the charges get more serious.
Finally, what to do if you’re charged with any crime in Wisconsin
Hire an attorney. This is certainly the easiest piece of advice we can provide you with. Fighting a case on your own is incredibly difficult. We usually draw an analogy to flying an airplane: No matter how many times you’ve watched movies that include someone flying a plane, would you want to fly your own? Even if you basically understand what’s going on? Unless you’re a pilot, of course not.
Defending criminal cases is similar. Our criminal defense lawyers have extensive experience and training fighting issues just like yours. We went to school for this. Further, we continue to train every day to become better defense lawyers. And it’s certainly what we do for work every single day.
Finally, if you are charged with a Class A misdemeanor, call Van Severen Law Office today. Our criminal defense attorneys are available 24/7 and certainly want to start fighting your case.
