Fredericksburg, VA asked in Domestic Violence for North Dakota

Q: What if a third party witness to domestic violence decides to retract his original statement made to police?

I received information over the phone that a friend was injured during an argument with her boyfriend. After giving a statement to the police, she told me that she'd actually had fallen down the stairs due to no fault of her boyfriend. I contacted the police the next day and retracted my statement. How might this impact the case?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Lucas Wynne
Lucas Wynne
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • St. Louis Park, MN
  • Licensed in North Dakota

A: The prosecutor may still bring charges, even if your statement has been retracted. Why? Firstly, because you did not witness the incident. More importantly, because victims of domestic violence often retract their statement and it is in the state's interest to pursue domestic violence incidents.

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