The Facts

On December 25, 2009, actor Charlie Sheen was arrested on charges of domestic violence, including second-degree assault and menacing, against his wife, Brooke Mueller.  Brooke told police that the couple had an argument after Brooke told Charlie she wanted a divorce.  At that point, Brooke claims that Charlie held her down, put a knife to her throat and said, “You better be in fear. If you tell anybody, I'll kill you.”  Charlie denied Brooke’s allegations, and instead told police that the couple had slapped each other on the arms and that he had snapped two pairs of her glasses in front of her.

Charlie was released from jail after posting an $8,500 bond.  OnFebruary 8, 2010, he was charged with third-degree assault, criminal mischief and felony menacing.

The Law  

Under Colorado law, a person commits third-degree assault if they knowingly or recklessly cause bodily injury to another person, or if they cause bodily injury to another person by use of a deadly weapon—like a knife. Assault in the third degree is a class one misdemeanor, meaning that a person convicted of this crime can be sentenced to up to two years in prison and pay a$5,000 fine.

The second crime Charlie is charged with—criminal mischief—is defined as damaging someone else’s property.  If the damage is less than $500, the crime is a class two misdemeanor, meaning the guilty person can be sent to prison for up to one year and be required to pay a $1,000 fine.  If the damage is between $500 and $1,000, the crime is a class one misdemeanor, and the guilty person can be sentenced to up to two years in prison and pay a $5,000 fine.  If the damage is greater than $1,000, the crime is considered a felony and the punishment is greater.

The last crime Charley is charged with is menacing, which Colorado law defines as knowingly placing or trying to place another person in fear of serious bodily injury by threat or physical action.  If a deadly weapon—like a knife—is used, menacing is considered a class five felony, which carries a prison sentence of one to three years, as well as a mandatory parole period of two years.  In addition, a person convicted of a class five felony can be fined up to $100,000. 

The Impact

Though Charlie Sheen continues to act in his hit comedy, Two-and-a-Half Men, the incident in Colorado did hurt his career.  Charlie has been dropped as a spokesman for Hanes, and the company decided pull all commercials featuring Charlie from the air waves. 

The Lesson

Control your anger, or you will pay the price.  

If Charlie Sheen is found guilty of the domestic violence charges discussed above, he faces more than five years in prison.  Charlie is the father of four small children, and could miss out on many important years of their lives—all because he let his emotions get away from him.

Furthermore, Charlie could potentially pay more than to $100,000 infines.  While a celebrity might not consider this a large sum of money, it is a huge amount to the average American.  For $100,000, you could buy approximately 400 iPods, 500 Nintentdo Wii's, or a house in certain parts of the country. 

If you find yourself in a situation that makes you really upset, do not let your feelings lead you to make bad decisions.  Instead, take a deep breath and slowly count to ten.  If you still do not feel like you can calmly deal with the situation, talk to an adult like a parent or teacher and ask for their help.  

Nobody wins when violence occurs, especially you.