Assault/Harassment

The Law Office of Andrew L. Bertrand, PC offers comprehensive criminal defense representation to clients in Fort Collins and throughout northern Colorado. Our attorneys have significant experience representing individuals facing assault or harassment charges, and will make every effort to ensure our clients avoid the serious consequences of a conviction.

Assault

Colorado law recognizes three degrees of assault, with first degree assault being the most serious charge and third degree assault being the least serious charge:

• First Degree Assault - A person commits first degree assault if he or she intentionally causes serious bodily injury to someone with a deadly weapon; knowingly engages in conduct that creates a grave risk of death to another or results in injury; intentionally destroys, disfigures, or amputates the member of another person; or, threatens a police officer or firefighter with a deadly weapon with intent of causing serious bodily injury. First degree assault is a Class 3 felony punishable by eight to 24 years in prison and fines up to $750,000.
• Second Degree Assault - A person commits second degree assault if he or she intentionally or recklessly causes injury to someone using a deadly weapon; intentionally causes mental impairment or injury to someone with the use of a drug or substance; or, causes injury while attempting to prevent a police officer or firefighter from doing their job. Second degree assault is a Class 4 felony punishable by four to 12 years in prison and fines up to $500,000.
• Third Degree Assault - A person commits third degree assault if he or she knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another person or with criminal negligence causes bodily injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon. Third degree assault is classified as a misdemeanor, but is still punishable by up to three years in prison.

On paper, these charges look very serious, and they do carry serious consequences, but oftentimes assault charges stem from a solitary incident that got out of hand, such as bar fight or altercation at school. Our attorneys will take the time to listen to your story, understand your situation, and ultimately provide you with the strongest possible defense. In many cases, we can get charges reduced to obtain alternative sentencing, and minimize the negative impact of an assault charge on your life.

Harassment

In Colorado, harassment charges may be filed for a vast range of conduct, such as:

• Striking, shoving, kicking, or otherwise touching a person or subjecting him or her to physical contact with the intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person
• Directing obscene language or making an obscene gesture to or at another person in a public place
• Following a person in or about a public place
• Initiating communication anonymously or otherwise by telephone, computer, computer network, or computer system in a manner intended to threaten or harass
• Making a telephone call or causing a telephone to ring continuously, with no purpose of legitimate conversation
• Making repeated communications at inconvenient hours that invade the privacy of another and interfere in the use and enjoyment of another's home, private residence, or private property
• Repeatedly insulting, taunting, challenging, or making communications in offensively coarse language to another in a manner likely to provoke a violent or disorderly response

Sometimes people charged with harassment are taken by surprise because they did not realize their behavior could be considered criminal. Others mistakenly think that harassment charges always relate to some form of sexual misconduct. We are here to sort through these issues, explore your options, and present your best defense to harassment charges.

Seek Experienced, Respected Defense Representation

If you or a loved one faces assault or harassment charges, do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Andrew L. Bertrand, PC for a free, informative consultation. We offer evening and weekend meetings and accept all major credit cards.