ave you had an innocent night of fun turn into some sort of altercation, whether at a bar, club, or other social gathering? These disputes are rather common, and a lot of times alcohol is involved. Although many of these altercations result without anything more than words being exchanged, others end up with the police getting involved. When this happens, you might find yourself facing criminal charges, including those pertaining to disorderly conduct.
Under Wisconsin law, there are a number of actions that can be considered criminal disorderly conduct. Amongst them are actions that are:
- Abusive
- Indecent
- Profane
- Excessively loud
- Boisterous
- Violent
In order to be criminal in nature, though, it must be proven that the actions cause or provoke some sort of disturbance. This offense is a Class B misdemeanor.
A conviction for this offense can have a significant impact on your life. You might be sentenced to jail or probation, with strict terms that must be adhered to in order to avoid additional penalties. Fines are a also a real possibility, and a conviction can mar your record and your reputation for years to come.
So what are to do if you are accused of disorderly conduct after a bar fight or some other type of disturbance? First, you should consider your criminal defense options. You can, of course, simply deny committing the acts in question, or you can raise some sort of affirmative defense. For example, if a minor scuffle at a bar resulted in disorderly conduct charges, then you might consider whether you can claim that you were merely defending yourself and thereby didn’t cause or provoke the disturbance in question.
There may even be additional charges that accompany disorderly conduct. In some instances battery charges are levied, or maybe even charges related to carrying a weapon if a gun or knife was used in the incident. These charges carry even harsher penalties upon conviction, which means that you need to be aggressive in your criminal defense. If you’re unsure about how to develop one of these defenses, don’t worry. There are trusted legal professionals in the Fox Valley area who stand ready to fight for you every step of the way.
A lot of criminal defense is parsing out the language of the statute, applying case law to the facts at hand, and poking holes in the prosecution’s claims. Doing so can usually result in some sort of plea deal that allows you to avoid the harshest penalties, or it may even result in dismissed charges or an acquittal. However, you need to make sure you competently defend yourself, which may mean seeking out help from someone who is result-driven.
