As the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 is ravaging through our communities, unfortunately, people are still going to get arrested. Because of the required social distancing in place by the CDC and the inability of people to leave their residences, people are forced to stay in close contact with each other. This will no doubt cause people to have high tension and stress and cause an increase in battery arrests in Sarasota County. Unless there are aggravating factors, like the age of the victim or the extent of the victim’s injuries, a battery is typically a misdemeanor under Florida law.
If a deputy or officer from a Sarasota County law enforcement agency believes that they can establish probable cause that you were the primary aggressor then there is a good chance that you will be arrested and transported to the Sarasota County jail for processing. A domestic battery charge will always have a zero bond, meaning you will need to see a Judge within 24 hours to determine what your conditions of release should be. This means that even during this Coronavirus outbreak you might remain in custody overnight until you see a Judge in the morning. Your loved ones will not be able to just call a bondsman and get you out as would typically happen with most other misdemeanor offenses. This is troublesome as COVID-19 spreads, especially to areas such as jails or prisons.
You may be asking about certain conditions that a Judge may set at first appearance during a pandemic outbreak such as coronavirus. A Judge will more than likely order no contact between the person arrested and the alleged victim. In addition, if the police report reads that drugs or alcohol may have contributed to the arrest, a Judge can order random urinalysis as a condition of release. These conditions can be a huge burden to someone arrested during a pandemic outbreak like coronavirus because people are supposed to maintaining social distancing and it might be difficult to find a place to stay while the case is pending.
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Assuming you are able to get out of jail and find a place to live away from the victim in the case, you still need to deal with the underlying battery charge. During this coronavirus outbreak, the courts are faced with multiple continuances and arraignment dates will probably be months away. This can cause a MAJOR problem since the no-contact order more than likely entered at first appearances remains in place until the case is resolved.
If you are facing an arrest for battery that occurred during the coronavirus outbreak, please call us at 941-444-4444. Let us put our local knowledge of the court system to work for you in getting you the best result on your battery case.
