Man cleared of domestic violence after case dropped

While the following story is a little bit old and it did not occur here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, there are a few critical points to it that people need to hear. CeaseFire, an organization that tries to quell gang violence and gun use, fired its director after he was accused of domestic violence by his wife. He was arrested after apparently hitting and kicking his wife, dealing her cuts and bruises. However, he vehemently denied the claims. The former director was recently vindicated, as his wife dropped the charges. He publicly stated that he and his wife were now going to try and work through this difficult period of their lives as they move towards happier times. There are a couple of things to learn from this story; and the first is that any criminal charge, domestic violence or otherwise, can result in great personal and professional turmoil. Criminal charges, may they be true or not, can result in a person losing his or her job. The incident may also cause the person to lose relationships or friendships that he or she once held dear, even if there are only accusations of criminal activity instead of a conviction. The other element to this story is that some domestic violence incidents can actually end up being misunderstandings. That may sound unfair to the many victims of domestic violence; and to be sure, there are many domestic violence incidents that are quite legitimate. What we mean is that, sometimes, a domestic violence incident can be blown out of proportion. Maybe the theoretical victim felt threatened initially, but after cooler heads prevailed, they realized there was nothing to worry about — but a neighbor already called the police. Both of these factors emphasize the need for a defense attorney as soon as possible if you are accused of a crime. Source: CBS Chicago, “Former CeaseFire Director’s Wife Drops Domestic Violence Charges,” July 2, 2013