Legal Question in Criminal Law in Texas

Re: class c assault

Section 22.01 (a)(3)of the Texas Penal code defines the type of Assault you are asking as follows:

(a) A person commits an offense if the person:

(3) "intentionally or knowingly causes physical contact with another when the person knows or should reasonably believe that the other will regard the contact as 'offensive or provocative'."

In other words,if an individual penched or patted someone on their rear and the person who was pinched or patted found such behavior to be offensive or provacative, the individual who did the act could be charged with Class C Assualt.

The punishment for all Class C misdemeanors is as follows: Under �12.23 of the Texas Penal Code "[a]n individual adjudged guilty of a Class C misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500. (plus court costs).