Utah Teen Arrested in Alleged Aggravated Assault for Stabbing Her Father in the Kitchen

A 17-year-old Utah teen has been arrested and taken to detention while she’s being investigated for her role in an alleged aggravated assault incident involving her father.

The Backstory

Authorities are trying to piece together exactly what happened, but believe that the girl was involved in an altercation with her father during which time both behaved inappropriately. The father stated that the two were arguing and he threw the girl down when she tried to stab him with a kitchen implement.

His story is that the teen left the room and came back with a pocketknife which soon ended up in the father’s thigh. The girl then left the house, but police found her at some point. She had injuries that police seem to think showed she’d been grabbed repeatedly around the neck. The teen stated that when her father threw her, she hit her head.

Both parties to the incident were given medical treatment before being booked into their respective law enforcement facilities. The father is being investigated for child abuse.

Aggravated Assault or Self-Defense?

An interesting question arises from this situation: if one person grabs another person by the neck and throws them to the ground and the second person responds with force is it truly an instance of aggravated assault or rather self-defense? This is a question which a Utah juvenile defense attorney might pose in court.

Hopefully the young lady will receive appropriate legal counsel. It’s got to be tough when a family squabble turns violent, but maybe there’s more to this story than meets the eye.

If you have a child who’s in a legal mess, don’t wait to talk to a Utah juvenile defense attorney. Kids need legal counsel just as much as adults and you shouldn’t have to attempt to navigate the juvenile justice system on your own. Call an attorney today.