Harassment Defense Attorneys in Vancouver, WA

Washington Harassment Charges at a Glance

Level	Classification
Harassment	Gross misdemeanor, up to 1 year and a $5,000 fine
Felony Harassment (Class C)	Applies when the threat is to kill, or there's a prior harassment conviction against the same person

Class C Harassment

Harassment can also be charged as a class C felony if the person makes a threat to kill another person or has previously been convicted of Harassment against the same individual before. Harassment is often charged as a domestic violence crime when it arises in a domestic dispute. This can be increasingly difficult to prove at trial when alleged under a domestic violence scenario because the alleged victim may have a motive to lie. Sometimes, the alleged victim is equally culpable in the domestic dispute and may be covering up his or her own criminal conduct. Sometimes the parties have a strained relationship to begin with and the person may be fabricating the allegations out of vindictiveness. A third common reason why a domestic violence harassment charge might be difficult to prove is because the alleged victim recants his or her story because they don't want to get the other person into legal trouble. For these reasons, you might have a strong case for trial if charged with criminal harassment charges in a domestic violence setting.

Domestic Violence & Harassment in Washington

The criminal charge of Harassment, unlike many other misdemeanor charges, requires submission of a DNA sample if you are convicted. Your DNA sample will then be added to a crime investigation database. There it can be cross-referenced against DNA collected in future criminal investigations (or cold cases). The cost of this DNA collection will be added to your criminal fines and fees.