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"Friend to those who have no friend, enemy to those who make him an enemy." - Boston Blackie, 1945

Assault & Battery

Assault Defense Lawyer in Peoria, Illinois

Criminal charges for assault or battery can have a lasting impact on your future if you are convicted. If you have been arrested or charged with assault, you should talk with an experienced criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.

I am Arthur J. Inman, a criminal defense attorney in Peoria, Illinois. I provide aggressive defense representation to people charged with assault and battery throughout Illinois. Contact me to discuss your case with a skilled defense lawyer.

Simple Assault ∙ Battery ∙ Aggravated Battery

Under Illinois law, battery is the infliction of bodily injury or unauthorized vile physical contact on another person, while assault is placing a person in reasonable fear of receiving a battery. Battery can range from the blow of a fist to the use of any instrument that can cause bodily harm. In certain circumstances, a battery charge can be elevated to aggravated battery, which is a felony charge. A battery offense can be elevated to aggravated battery if:

The assault resulted in great bodily harm
The crime involved assaulting a police officer or fireman
The alleged victim was a minor or child
A gun, knife or other weapon was used in the assault

Bar Fights: Serious Assault Charges

Assault and battery are serious charges, especially if they occur in a public place, such as a bar. For instance, battery which takes place in a bar may raise the level of the charge from a misdemeanor, punishable by under one year in jail, to a felony, punishable by one year or more in prison. Thus, an event as simple as a drunken bar fight may - depending upon the mindset of the alleged victim, the police, or the prosecutor - result in a felony charge, which carries a penalty of three to seven years in state prison.

I also defend clients facing criminal charges for other violent crimes, such as:

As with most situations where a person is charged with a crime, you should not attempt to negotiate or talk about the incident with the police or the person accusing you of assault or battery. You need a lawyer, and you should let your lawyer do the talking for you. Having practiced criminal law for more than 35 years - including eight years spent as a prosecutor - I know how prosecutors handle assault and battery cases. I have defended a large number of these cases in state court.

If you are being charged with assault and/or battery, please contact me at the Law Office of Arthur J. Inman at 309-673-9711.