Our client faced two charges arising from separate incidents in a domestic relationship: Recklessly Endangering Another Person, carrying a potential sentence of up to 364 days in jail, and Harassment, carrying up to six months. Attorney Toni Gonzalez secured a complete victory on both charges.
The Reckless Endangerment charge stemmed from an incident in a moving vehicle. During an argument, our client touched the steering wheel while asking to be let out of the car. The alleged victim claimed our client was attempting to cause an accident. Ms. Gonzalez demonstrated that our client never actually moved the steering wheel — and that simply touching a steering wheel while requesting to exit a vehicle fell far short of the legal standard for reckless endangerment. The judge agreed, granting Ms. Gonzalezi's motion to dismiss the charge at the close of the prosecution's own evidence — before the defense even presented its case.
The Harassment charge arose from a separate incident in which our client pushed away a phone that the alleged victim was using to record them at close range. The alleged victim claimed our client had slapped the phone and pulled her hair. Toni argued that our client's sole intent was to stop being recorded — not to harass or annoy the alleged victim. The court agreed, returning a Not Guilty verdict.
