State v. O.P.

O.P., a juvenile, was charged with fourth degree assault after an altercation with his mother. Without specifically ruling on the State’s motion to add a domestic violence designation to this charge, and without rearraigning O.P., the trial court found him guilty of fourth degree assault (domestic violence). We conclude that because the domestic violence designation in this case did not alter either the essential elements or the consequences of the fourth degree assault charge, the court did not violate O.P.’s constitutional rights.

FACTS

During a January 1999 argument, O.P. grabbed his mother…