Choosing the best violent crime attorney in Sacramento.
If you are looking for a violent crime attorney in Sacramento, start with the question that matters most: who will actually be handling your case? I am Chris Parkhurst, Esq. I have been defending cases in Sacramento County since 1999, and my State Bar number is 203402. You work with us directly rather than with an intake team or a call center.
What that means in practice is straightforward. I read your file before I tell you what I think of it, I explain what it actually supports, and I give you the realistic range of outcomes rather than the encouraging end of it. For the detail on the charge itself, see violent crime defense. To find out what happens next in your case, call.
Violent crime charges I defend.
These are the violent crime matters I handle for clients in Sacramento and across Sacramento County.
- Simple assault. Penal Code 240. No contact and no injury is required.
- Battery. Penal Code 242. Any wilful touching, a far lower bar than people expect.
- Assault with a deadly weapon. A strike. An object becomes a deadly weapon by how it is used.
- Battery with serious bodily injury. A wobbler turning on how the injury is characterised.
- Robbery. A theft accomplished by force or fear. The force element is often the case.
- Criminal threats. Words alone can support it. A strike as a felony.
- Great bodily injury enhancement. Charged separately, and can convert an offence into a strike.
- Domestic violence charges. Where the parties are in a listed relationship, a different section applies.
If your charge is not listed, call me. Working out what you are actually facing is the first useful thing that happens.
What I look at first.
What I examine first in a violent crime case out of Sacramento:
- Who called first, and what was said before anyone arranged a story
- Whether the injuries match the account given
- Whether self-defence or defence of another is on the table
- Whether this was mutual combat reported by one side
- Whether the charge as filed is supported or is the top of a range
- Whether each enhancement has evidence behind it
None of that happens on its own. It happens because somebody asked for it early, while it still existed.
Who arrested you in Sacramento.
Sacramento Police Department. 5770 Freeport Blvd #200, Sacramento, CA 95822. (916) 808-5471.
- Sacramento County Sheriff. the unincorporated county surrounding the city, and the Main Jail where people are booked.
- California Highway Patrol. Interstate 5, Highway 50, Interstate 80 and Highway 99, which all meet in or beside the city.
- Sacramento Regional Transit police. the light rail system and the stations along it.
- Sacramento State and UC Davis Medical Center forces. their respective campuses, each with its own jurisdiction.
Sacramento is the largest city in the region and the county seat, so both the volume of cases and the machinery that handles them are concentrated here. Four major routes meet in or beside the city, and the CHP writes a large share of the traffic reports as a result. Midtown and the K Street corridor produce most of the late-night calls, the light rail system has its own transit police, and two campuses add their own forces. Which of those agencies made the arrest is the first thing worth establishing, because they do not keep records the same way.
Where a Sacramento case is heard.
A violent crime case arising in Sacramento is prosecuted by the Sacramento County District Attorney at 901 G St, Sacramento, CA 95814 and heard in Sacramento County. The date and location printed on your citation or release paperwork is the authority rather than anything on this page.
Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse
720 9th St, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 874-5522
How this office charges cases and what happens between arrest and arraignment is set at county level. See Sacramento County.
Areas I serve around Sacramento.
Sacramento is large, and the city boundary meets unincorporated county on several sides.
- Downtown and the court district. where the courts, the District Attorney's office, the Main Jail and my office all sit.
- Midtown and the K Street corridor. the main bar and restaurant district, and the source of most late-night arrests.
- Oak Park and Land Park. residential neighbourhoods south of the centre, policed by Sacramento PD.
- Natomas and North Sacramento. north of the river, with the Interstate 5 and Interstate 80 corridors running through.
- Arden-Arcade and the unincorporated ring. Sheriff territory rather than city police, and the boundary is not obvious.
I also cover Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, West Sacramento.
Sacramento questions I hear most.
What makes a charge a strike in California?
Whether the offence appears on the serious or violent felony lists in Penal Code 1192.7(c). Assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and felony criminal threats are on it; simple battery is not. A strike is counted permanently.
Can I be charged with assault if I never touched anyone?
Yes. Penal Code 240 defines assault as an attempt to apply force, so contact is not required and neither is injury.
What if I was defending myself?
Self-defence is a complete defence in California and does not require you to have retreated first. The difficulty is usually the record rather than the law.
Is there a criminal court in Sacramento?
Yes — Sacramento is the county seat, so the court is here.
Do I have to appear in court myself?
For most misdemeanours an attorney can appear on your behalf. Felonies generally require your presence. Which applies depends on the charge, so it is worth asking early rather than assuming.
What does defending a violent crime case in Sacramento cost?
It depends on the charge, whether it is a misdemeanour or a felony, and whether the case is likely to resolve or be tried. Call and I will tell you what representation in your situation would cost before you commit to anything. For the general picture, see what a criminal defence lawyer costs in California.
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