Category:Disorderly Conduct

Wisconsin Disorderly Contact Law

Wisconsin "disorderly conduct" law provides police with a very vague and very broad authority to arrest people in both public and private places for any conduct that is deemed to be or has a tendency to cause or provoke a disturbance. That law encompasses many types of behavior, such as abusive, violent, indecent, profane, boisterous and unreasonably loud conduct, as well as any conduct deemed by the police officer to be causing or to have the potential to cause a disturbance. Wisconsin's disorderly conduct law also applies to telephone calls if the intent is to frighten, intimidate, threaten, abuse, or harass when the call is placed, and a threat is made to inflict injury or physical harm to any person or the property of any person.

Disorderly Conduct Penalties If Convicted

Anyone arrested for disorderly conduct may be charged with a Class B misdemeanor, if any of the above situations exist. If the intent is to harass, then the charge may be for forfeiture. Although the alleged disorderly conduct may be directed towards a person or group of people, the law does not require a victim. However, if a victim or more than one victim do exist, then the state may subpoena testimony at a court hearing.

Disorderly Conduct - Domestic Charge

A disorderly domestic conduct charge only requires that two or more of the people behaving in the allegedly disorderly fashion either are or were involved in a domestic (living together) arrangement, or are the parents of a child that either is due to or has been born. A domestic charge is an enhancement to a disorderly conduct charge that has additional effects on a person's life in the future. A domestic may prevent the convicted person from obtaining certain jobs.

Avoiding Bad Outcomes

While a disorderly conduct charge may seem trite in some situations, the effects that it can have on your future are not. In some situations, defendants receive alternative sentencing provisions which result in the charge being removed from the defendant's record upon completion of the terms. In other situations, charges have been dropped. And in the worse case scenario, defendants have been surprised by the court's reaction when they have defended themselves and received stiff penalties including jail time, fines, and probation. It is impossible to determine the possible outcomes without a initial consultation, and it is always impossible to make promises. But by placing your situation into the hands of the attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood, you will know that you have done all that you can possibly do to achieve the best possible outcome given the situation.