What happens if the defendant violates the Protection Order?
Violations of a Protection Order may be punished as contempt of court and may be charged as a Class A misdemeanor for which the abuser may be arrested with or without a warrant. If the judge in a case finds that a defendant violated a Protection Order, the first violation is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.00. A finding of a second violation of a protection order requires, in addition to any fine and sentence imposed, a minimum of 48 hours in jail. On a finding of a third violation, the defendant must spend 30 days in jail. Required jail time cannot be suspended. A law enforcement officer may arrest the violator of a protection order without a warrant at any time of the day or night when the officer has probable cause to believe that an act has been committed in violation of a valid protection order, even if the officer did not personally see the violation. The plaintiff may also request that a warrant be issued against the defendant
