If you or someone you love has been arrested for domestic violence in South Carolina, you likely have urgent questions about what happens next. These videos from Greg McCollum of the Complete Legal Defense Team cover why arrests happen so quickly in domestic violence situations, how this can happen even to people who never expected it, and what to expect regarding bond and no contact orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will You Go to Jail for Domestic Violence in South Carolina? (Yes, Here’s Why)
Yes, absolutely, 100% of the time. Under South Carolina law, if the police are called to a disturbance and it has the elements of domestic violence, which just means a disagreement or a disturbance involving family members, the way to trigger a domestic violence charge is very minimal. These laws are written to allow the police to arrest somebody.
If they didn’t have these laws and were just assessing it as an assault, a lot of times there wouldn’t be grounds to arrest them, but the domestic violence laws are written so broadly that the least little thing can trigger that. So in that situation, somebody’s going to be arrested, somebody’s going to jail. The police are called out, they determine the primary aggressor, and then they arrest somebody.
They really are required to arrest somebody to neutralize the situation and change the dynamic, to separate those people so they’re not going to be interacting anymore. So yes, 100% domestic violence calls cause an arrest. Always somebody’s going to be arrested.
Arrested for Domestic Violence in South Carolina? How This Happens to Good People
Greg McCollum Complete Legal Defense Team handles a multitude of criminal charges, including domestic violence cases. They do 25 or more of those each year. This comes up so unexpectedly where couples are together, usually they’ve been drinking, they have an argument, maybe somebody hears something and they call the police.
No one’s in danger. There are serious cases, too, but that seems to happen. They get several calls for that every month. It’s the kind of thing that people who never think they would be arrested, all of a sudden one or both of them are in jail with a no contact order for a domestic violence charge.
Arrested for Domestic Violence in South Carolina? Can You Get Out on Bond
In almost every instance where you’re charged with domestic violence, first of all, almost everyone charged with that, they don’t even have a criminal record. It’s an assault charge. They should have a bond hearing within 24 hours, literally the next morning or next afternoon, and the bond will be set and they’ll get out.
So that’s the good news. The bad news is usually you have a no contact order. So now you cannot talk to your spouse. You cannot go home. You can’t call them. You’re not supposed to communicate with them in any way. That’s the difficult part, and that’s the part where sometimes it’s good to have representation at the bond hearing.
Domestic violence charges in South Carolina can move fast, and the stakes are high even when no one was truly in danger. With nearly 30 years of experience and a background as a former prosecutor, Greg McCollum understands both sides of these cases and can help guide you through arrest, bond, and the restrictions that follow.
If you have questions about domestic violence charges, call the Greg McCollum Complete Legal Defense Team at (843) 626-5480. Consultations are confidential.
