Q

My 15-year-old son has a bad temper. He’s gotten into several fights at school. I’m worried that he will be charged with a crime. What acts qualify as an assault?

Educating your son now about assault may keep him from crossing an important line. A great place to direct your son would be the Office of the Attorney General’s website. That website provides information about many criminal law topics in a format written just for teenagers. Here, we highlight some general information about assault as provided on that website:

• Assault by threat – This misdemeanor crime happens when a person threatens another individual intentionally or knowingly with inevitable bodily harm.
• Assault by contact – This misdemeanor crime happens when a person intentionally or knowingly touches another person, despite knowing that the victim will regard the contact as provocative or offensive.
• Assault with bodily injury – This misdemeanor crime happens when a person causes bodily injury knowingly, recklessly, or intentionally to the victim.
• Deadly conduct – This crime can be classified as a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the circumstances. This crime is defined as a person recklessly acting in a manner that could cause serious bodily injury or death.
• Aggravated assault – This crime happens when a person causes serious bodily injury to a victim or when a person uses or exhibits a deadly weapon during an assault. These weapons include tools, clubs, sticks, knives, guns, knives, or anything else that could cause death or serious bodily injury.

If you would like more information about assault, or if you would like your child to speak to a Texas criminal defense attorney, contact the Houston criminal defense lawyers at Topek & Topek, Attorneys at Law. You may reach us by calling (toll free number) or by filling out the secure online contact form.