What to Expect When You're Arrested for Domestic Violence

Below is a list of what a person arrested on domestic violence charges may expect. You should note that most of these also apply to anyone arrested for any crime:

* You'll be held a certain number of hours, usually 12, even if you can make bail immediately.

* Your mugshot will be in Hard Times, perhaps even on the front page where your friends can easily see it when they check out at the corner mini-mart.

* Your mugshot will be online in the Quad-Cities Daily--free for anyone with Internet access to view

* Ditto the last comment, but change the site name to the Shoals Insider.

* If the domestic violence is considered a felony or if you have quite a rap sheet already, you'll rate an article in Pen-N-Sword.

* Ditto the above with your name in the TimesDaily.

* Depending upon where you work, you  may even rate an article in the Flor-Ala.

* No sympathy from anyone outside your family and a few misguided friends.

The above list of ramifications of domestic violence doesn't include legal fees and lost time from work. You may even lose your job, assuming you have one.

And if you really want to push how your umpteen arrests are all a mistake, you may even rate your own blog  post on this site.

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Domestic violence was not our originally intended topic for today, but a reader inadvertently suggested it to us when she took up for a man with domestic violence charges (big surprise) and a rap sheet that reaches to the coast and back. This offender remains in the detention center as of tonight, as he has been for the past five days. We infer, traffic ticket no show or not, the judge is not happy with the perp's actions.

We'll add in the interest of fairness that we've had many complaints over the years about the inaccessibility of Florence Municipal Court when seeking to change a court date. We're sure this is true, but an individual already in the system with a domestic violence charge should already have an attorney who can handle a change in appearance dates for any other extraneous matters the alleged abuser faces in either circuit or municipal court.

In other words, if you're on probation or other legal programs, you're not the brightest tiki torch on the patio if you simply blow off a court appearance.

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Just a reminder: Each day we plan to link one article from the Shoals Insider and Pen-N-Sword on our Facebook page. If you have comments, please contact the original publication.