Facts:
My client and her boyfriend live together in Treasure Island. Over Thanksgiving, they got into an argument while she was cooking. They began yelling at each other and she allegedly hit him with a rolling pin. She left the house angry. The boyfriend was not injured, but he called the police anyway.
Treasure Island PD responded and took his story. She was not there, so they weren’t able to speak to her. But, because he told the police that she hit him with a rolling pin, they had probable cause to arrest her for domestic battery.
She came home later that evening and the couple reconciled. But, the following morning, the police cars were again circling her house. She knew that they were there for her and she called me.
I knew that if they found her, they would arrest her. There was simply nothing that I could do to prevent that. We decided to turn her in directly to the Pinellas County Jail late at night so that she could be booked and then she would have her court date in the morning with a lawyer present. Her boyfriend agreed to go to court to help her. So, she waited until late, called the police and then turned herself in.
The Case:
The morning hearing is called an advisory on first appearance. Normally, the judge who handles all of the domestic battery charges does not allow contact with victims. But, because this was a holiday weekend, I knew that we had a better chance with a different judge. We went to the hearing and it went as planned. The judge let her out on ROR and allowed contact with her boyfriend. So, she was able to go home.
Once she got out of jail the following afternoon, I had her enroll in voluntary anger management.
I submitted all of the information about the domestic battery to the prosecutor.
The Result:
Three weeks after the arrest, the domestic battery charge was dropped. She and her boyfriend are doing well and there have been no issues. She was very happy with my advice, the plan, and the result.