How Wyoming Defines Battery
According to Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-501, battery happens when someone touches another person in a rude, disrespectful, or angry way without permission, or when they intentionally, knowingly, or carelessly hurt another person. Battery and assault are not the same thing. Assault is the threat or attempt, while battery is the contact. When a fight leads to both threatening behavior and physical harm, both are often charged together.
In Wyoming, battery is usually a misdemeanor that can get you up to six months in jail and fines of up to $750. When the battery causes serious bodily harm, involves a deadly weapon, or happens in a domestic violence setting, it can become a felony. The most important things that affect how a battery is charged are how serious the injury is and how the two people know each other.
Battery in Domestic Violence Contexts
When battery involves a family member, such as a spouse, partner, roommate, or co-parent, it is called domestic battery and has more serious consequences than just the usual criminal penalties. If you are convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery, you will never be able to buy a gun again under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9). Even if the person who is accused of domestic battery asks for the case to be dropped, the prosecution still goes on.
Defense Strategies for Battery in Wyoming
Self-defense (you used force because you thought it was necessary to protect yourself), defense of others, consent (in some cases, contact is consented to), and questioning the prosecution’s evidence of what really happened are all possible defenses against battery. The credibility of witnesses and the physical evidence of injury are important in many battery cases. We carefully look at both of them.
Penalty Grid
| Misdemeanor max | Fine | Domestic battery | Felony battery |
| 6 months jail | Up to $750 | Federal gun ban | Up to 10 years |
Related Charges We Also Defend
Why Clients in Wyoming and South Dakota Choose Just Criminal Law
Our attorneys spent years working for the state before switching sides. We know exactly how prosecutors build cases and exactly where to find the holes.
We do not split our focus between practice areas. Every attorney, every resource, every minute is focused on one thing: your criminal defense.
We know the courts, the judges, and the prosecutors across Wyoming and western South Dakota. Local familiarity shapes strategy and strategy shapes outcomes.
Servicios de traduccion en espanol disponibles. Every client fully understands their case, their options, and their rights.
Real Results for Wyoming & South Dakota Clients
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OtherSuppression Appeal — Wyoming Supreme CourtDistrict Court denied motion to suppress. Wyoming Supreme Court accepted certiorari on appeal.
Barney v. State of Wyoming — Wyoming Supreme Court
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CASE DISMISSEDReckless Endangering / Domestic Battery / Child Endangering — Wyoming
Client charged with reckless endangering, domestic battery, and child endangering. All charges dismissed.
State v. Quezada-Lopez — Wyoming Circuit Court
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CASE DISMISSEDDUI / DWUI — Wyoming
Client charged with DUI. State unable to lay foundation for the breath test. Case dismissed.
State v. Von Olnhausen — Wyoming Circuit Court
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CASE DISMISSEDFelony Child Abuse — Wyoming
Client charged with accessory after the fact and aggravated child abuse — a felony. State unable to meet its burden of proof at preliminary hearing. Felony count dismissed.
State v. Bullinger — Wyoming District Court
Charged with a crime in Wyoming? Time is critical.
The sooner you have an attorney, the more options you have.
What Clients Say About Just Criminal Law
Frequently asked questions about battery charges in Wyoming
Wyoming Criminal Defense — Communities We Serve
We are based in Gillette, Wyoming, and serve clients across the state and into western South Dakota. Our team knows the local courts, prosecutors, and judges in every community we serve — and that local knowledge makes a real difference in criminal defense.
- Deadwood
- Sturgis (Rally)
- Custer County
- Lawrence County
- Meade County
- Pennington County
We provide on-call criminal defense for Rally-related arrests including DUI, drug charges, weapons offenses, and assault. Call us 24/7 during Rally week.
