Source: Orange County Register

Travis Unholz, pictured above, was a former Orange County Sheriff Deputy, working at both the Men’s Central Jail and on the SWAT team. He recently pleaded guilty to one felony count of attempted possession of a firearm in violation of a protective order and one misdemeanor count of domestic battery with corporal injury.  Unholz’s initial charges included felony charges of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse and purchasing a firearm in violation of a protective order, misdemeanor charges of child abuse and endangerment and disobeying a domestic relations court order, and was denied a sentencing enhancement for committing a crime while released from custody.

His domestic violence charge resulted from an argument with his wife in which he pushed her, causing her to fall down and hit her head while their children were around. After she was hurt, she filed for a protective order against Unholz. As part of the order, he was prohibited from possessing a gun. Nevertheless, he asked a colleague to borrow a semiautomatic rifle because he “wanted to keep his options open.”

Unholz was sentenced to 19 days in jail and three years of formal probation, including participation in a 52-week batterers treatment program. He will never be able to be an officer again.

Committing an assault or battery on another person has its repercussions. However, if you assault your spouse or partner, you will be charged with the more serious crime of domestic violence. Common defenses to the crime of domestic violence include false allegations or self defense. If you are charged with domestic violence, a criminal defense attorney may be able to dismiss your charges or lower your sentence. If convicted, the criminal defense attorney may be able to get the conviction off of your permanent record so that it will not appear on a background check.

If you are charged with domestic violence, a violation of a restraning order, or a gun charge, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.