Minnesota Violation of No Contact Order Lawyer Talks about Charges, Enhanceability and More

While Domestic Assault charges in Minnesota can be extraordinarily difficult, they frequently bring along with them something called a No Contact Order. When these are issued, somebody can be forced out of their house or even place of business under certain circumstances and without any warning at all. Violate that Order and the situation can get dire very quickly. If you are charged with Violating a No Contact Order, sometimes called a DANCO violation, it is crucial that you speak with a Minnesota Violation of a No Contact Order Lawyer to understand what this could mean, the new charges, how this could violate conditions of release or probation issues or more.

While No Contact Orders may be issued as part of a pending Minnesota Domestic Assault charge, violating the No Contact Order will result in a new charge  

No Contact Orders are issued by a Minnesota District Court and are not necessarily made at the request of somebody who claims they are a victim. In fact, they can be issued even if the “victim” doesn’t want it. No contact orders also have the ability to be very broad in how they apply. They could include:

• No face to face contact - this could include children;

• No phone contact;

• No social media contact;

• No third party contact;

• An exclusion from a particular property or residence where the person is whether they are there or not.

• An exclusion form getting any property or residence pending the No Contact being in place.

A Judge can force you out even if you are the one who is paying the house note, the lease, or the monthly rent. You read that last part right. You leave but you continue to pay. The problem is, if you violate even one of those conditions of the No Contact Order, such as telling somebody to tell the person something, even something nice, it is a Violation of a No Contact Order and you could be facing new charges.

Enhanceable convictions don’t necessarily need to be Violation of No Contact Order convictions.

While various things can dramatically impact the charges themselves, the seriousness of the charge could change based exclusively on your prior record. Minnesota Violations of No Contact Orders charges are enhanceable. This means that the more of these you get in a 10 year period of time, the more serious the charges can become. For example:

• Misdemeanor Violations of No Contact Orders: A first offense Violation of No Contact Order convictions with no prior enhancing convictions in the last ten years. You could face up to 90 days in jail and a $1000 fine.

• Gross misdemeanor Violations of No Contact Orders:  A second offense Violation of No Contact Order convictions with one prior enhancing convictions in the last ten years. You could face up to a year in jail and a $3000 fine.

• Felony Violations of No Contact Orders:  A third offense Violation of No Contact Order convictions with two prior enhancing convictions in the last ten years.  You could face up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

Enhanceable convictions can apply to any domestic related charge. They don’t necessarily need to be Violations of No Contact Order convictions nor do they have to be against the same person. Domestic Assault convictions, Violations of orders for protections, 5th degree assaults, felony strangulations are examples of possible enhanceable convictions that could make a charge worse. Again, these don’t need to apply to the same person.

Because of the complex nature of DANCO violations or Violations of No Contact Order charges, it is critical to sit down with a Minnesota Violations of No Contact Order Lawyer to discuss what is coming next. Jack Rice is a Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist and Minnesota Violations of No Contact Orders Lawyer with extensive experience handling Violations of No Contact Orders or DANCOs.  Contact Jack Rice Defense for a free consultation or call 651-447-7650 or 612-227-1339.