Part of the stated mission of Chattanoogan.com is to deliver local news across a wide spectrum, including Chattanooga-related sports, weather, business and music news. The publication includes regular Hamilton County arrest reports.
A recent report included a wide variety of allegations against men and women, with a couple of types of serious allegations surfacing repeatedly: drunk driving and domestic violence charges.
For instance, a 56-year-old Chattanooga man was recently charged with aggravated domestic assault. As is the case with all of the accusations in the arrest report, there are no details other than the defendant’s name, age, address and the charge.
Far too often, Chattanoogan.com readers leap to the conclusion that an allegation is itself proof that a crime has taken place. It’s important to remember that there is a presumption of innocence for all of those accused and that the prosecutors carry the burden of proof – defendants are not required to prove that they have not committed a crime.
That burden exists for all the cases, including the 70-year-old accused of criminal trespass and the 61-year-old man accused of driving under the influence, a violation of the open container law, possession of drug paraphernalia and more.
There’s a presumption of innocence as well for the 25-year-old man accused of being in possession of contraband in a penal institution, possession of methamphetamine and driving on a revoked or suspended driver’s license.
Women are also facing criminal charges, including the 53-year-old arrested for vandalism/malicious mischief, the 45-year-old charged with public intoxication and the 44-year-old woman accused of domestic assault.
The first step in protecting their freedom and rights is to contact an attorney experienced in criminal defense in courtrooms and in negotiations.