Criminal Threat
Orange County Criminal Threat Defense Attorney
Been Arrested for Making Criminal Threats? Call an Expert Criminal Threat Attorney
Are you being accused of making criminal threats and don’t know what to do? The Orange County Criminal Lawyer and Orange County Criminal Threat Attorney at Law Offices of Michael L. Guisti will help explain the process and what your options are. It’s illegal to make criminal threats under Penal Code (PC) 422 if the threat of immediate harm is made to another person and causes fear in the person threatened.
How and When the Threat is Taken Seriously
According to PC 422 there has to be six elements for a criminal threat to be considered creditable by police and the Orange County District Attorney.
The first, the defendant willfully threatened to unlawfully kill or unlawfully inflict great bodily injury on another person.
The second, the suspect made the threat orally, or in writing, or by using an electronic communication device, like text messaging, emails or telephone.
The third, the defendant intended that the statement be understood as threatening and intended that it be received by the other person.
The fourth, the threat was so clear, immediate, unconditional, and specific that it communicated to the other person a serious intention and the immediate prospect that the threat would be carried out.
The fifth, the threat actually caused the other person to be in sustained fear for their own safety or for the safety of their immediate family.
The sixth, the other person's fear was reasonable under the circumstances.
According to our Newport Beach Criminal Attorney and Irvine Domestic Violence Attorney at Law Offices of Michael L. Guisti, who has success in defending clients accused of making criminals threats, domestic violence and assault and battery cases, it’s important to understand that someone who intends a statement to be clearly understood as a threat doesn’t have to actually carry out the threatened act to be charged with making threats.
The Punishment if Convicted of Making Criminal Threats
If convicted of making threats under PC 422 you face one year in Orange County jail, or a fine up to $5,000, or by both jail time and fine. In addition the court will order you to perform up to 400 hours of community service.
Hire a Quality Criminal Defense Attorney to Defend for you
It can be a criminal threat, a domestic violence or an assault and battery charge and these are serious charges you’re facing, but we assure you the Orange County Criminal Threat Defense Attorneys at Law Offices of Michael L. Guisti will handle your criminal threat case in the best possible way to reduce your criminal charges or even sometimes to dismiss your case in the courts of Fullerton, Westminster, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Irvine, Huntington Beach and throughout California.
We will guide you through the legal process, represent you in and out of court, give you all best possible solutions for your case and will do everything possible to make this complicated time much easier for you.
The Orange County Criminal Threats Defense Attorney at Law Offices of Michael L. Guisti knows the courts of Orange County, so please, don’t go at this alone. Give us a call so we can give you expert legal advice you deserve.
