My 15 year old daughter has made some pretty stupid choices in the last couple of years. She has taken ecstasy, smoked marijuana, & tried alcohol. While driving I asked to see her phone to check text her messages. She refused so I told her we would continue to drive until she gave me the phone. She threatened to jump out of the vehicle (while going 55mph). She actually opened the car door & I prayed that she wouldn’t jump. I couldn’t pull over because we were on a two lane road with no shoulder and traffic behind me and in front of me. After driving for a while she reached over and turned off my ignition. When she did that I reached over and slapped her in the face thinking she would double over and I would have a chance to close the car door & attempt to pull over somewhere. She immediately jumped out of the vehicle after it had slowed down & ran. Long story short———-I was charged with a misdemeanor for child abuse. I live in California & my court date is in April. Should I get an attorney? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
PS I know I shouldn’t have slapped her but I completly lost it after she turned off my ignition. That isn’t an excuse for what I did. I accept whatever punishment I get because I know I should have kept it together.
