Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
A Lawrence Massachusetts man was arrested last week and charged with two counts of assault and battery on a child under fourteen and assault and battery on a child under fourteen years old and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon. According to The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, the police allege that Amaruys Guzman of Lawrence beat his nine year old son and his ten year old daughter with a phone charger chord.
According to reports, the police were called to a South Lawrence East School to investigate a child abuse complaint. Apparently, the two siblings fought over a toy car that the brother returned with from a local park and claimed that it was given to him by a friend. His sister told him that he had to return the toy. The children were struck with the wire cord after the stepmother called their father home to deal with the situation.
In Massachusetts, the charge of assault and battery is a misdemeanor and if convicted, a defendant can face up to two and one half years in jail. However, the crime of assault and battery upon a child that causes bodily injury is a felony and if convicted a defendant faces up to five years in state prison or up to two and one half years in jail. The crime of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon is also a felony with the potential penalty of up to ten years in state prison or up to two and one half years in jail. These types of crimes are considered violent crimes against a person.
If you are charged with any type of assault and battery in Massachusetts, you must contact an experienced defense attorney as early as possible. Depending on the facts of the case, the defenses of self-defense and defense of another are often viable defenses. Also, depending on the circumstances, an experienced Massachusetts trial attorney can demonstrate that a defendant was improperly identified as the perpetrator. This is commonly referred to as a “case of mistaken identification.”
Our Attorney routinely appears in local Massachusetts courthouses defending the rights of her clients in Peabody, Lowell, Lawrence, Malden and Newburyport. If you have been arrested or think you are going to be charged with a crime, contact Our Attorney . She has successfully defended clients during clerk’s hearings and avoided the issuance of charges in addition to representing clients who have been arrested or where a complaint has already issued.