PTI Program Spares Woman From Battery Conviction in Sarasota

When people’s children are involved, emotions can run high and an altercation can get out of hand. Recently, a woman was with her child at a Sarasota apartment complex’s pool when an argument ensued after a racial slur was apparently aimed at her child. Understandably, the woman and some other bystanders confronted the group where the pejorative originated and the situation escalated to the point where police were called. The mother found herself charged with battery and to hopefully avoid the complications of a first-degree misdemeanor conviction, she retained the services of attorney Erika Valcarcel of Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A..

Attorney Valcarcel negotiated with all the parties involved and effectively secured her client’s enrollment in Pre-Trial Intervention. While PTI usually involves extensive diversion classes, due to attorney Valcarcel’s aggressive advocacy and the extenuating circumstances, the only condition the woman needed to complete was a single anger management class. As a result, the mother saw the charge dismissed and was free to return home to her child without a battery conviction.