UGA Graduates Attacked in Athens

Athens-Clarke County Courthouse

Athens, Ga. – Reports out of Clarke County yesterday detail a story about a local Athens man who attacked two recent UGA Graduates outside of a store.

The man allegedly attacked the two women as they left the Golden Pantry. He attacked them with a razor knife. Both women were taken to a local hospital suffering several incision wounds. The police discovered a man matching his description with a blade in the parking lot. He was arrested on charges of aggravated battery.

Police stated that the man blamed the stress from the coronavirus pandemic as to why he attacked the two women.

As a Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney, I will outline the law behind the offense of aggravated battery in the area below.

Aggravated Battery in Georgia

Aggravated battery is much like other aggravated offenses in the state of Georgia. There is typically a base offense and then an elevated version of it. So in order to better understand the offense of aggravated battery, let's first look to the law behind the offense of battery.

Georgia Law defines battery in Georgia in O.C.G.A. §16-5-23 as:

A person commits the offense of battery when he or she intentionally causes substantial physical harm or visible bodily harm to another.

Visible bodily harm means bodily harm capable of being perceived by a person other than the victim and may include, but is not limited to, substantially blackened eyes, substantially swollen lips or other facial or body parts, or substantial bruises to body parts.

Battery is classified as a misdemeanor offense. A battery conviction can result in up to 12 months in jail and $1,000 in fines.

The more elevated and serious offense is aggravated battery. Aggravated battery in Georgia is defined by Georgia Law in O.C.G.A. §16-5-24 as:

A person commits the offense of aggravated battery when he or she maliciously causes bodily harm to another by depriving him or her of a member of his or her body, by rendering a member of his or her body useless, or by seriously disfiguring his or her body or a member thereof.

Aggravated battery is classified as a felony. An aggravated battery conviction can result in up to 20 years in prison.

Practice Note

Contact our offices today if you or a loved one has been arrested in the state of Georgia. A Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer is available to take your call now.