Thank you for contacting Just Answer.
I would certainly have your son plead not guilty, but I would suggest he not go to any court appearance without a lawyer. He can allege self-defense as his defense, but it will be his burden to prove that he felt that he was facing an imminent threat of harm. Based on the facts you given me, I'm not sure if he did or not -but then I don't have the whole story. However, he told the other boy "say that to my face" and when the boy approached him (possibly to "say it to his face") your son punched him. The question that a judge or jury would have to decide is what was the intent of the 18 year old when he was walking towards your son? Did he intend to hurt him, or not?
With respect to the following of your son and yelling of comments, your son could get a harassment restraining order against this boy at the local district court. Because your son is a minor, you would have to file the harassment restraining order on his behalf.
A harassment restraining order is an order from court that instructs the harasser to stop harassing you or to have no contact with you. You can get a temporary order, without the harasser present in court, if the judge reasonably believes that the respondent has engaged in harassment. If your petition is based on a single incident, your petition must also state that there is an immediate and present danger of harassment before the court may issue a temporary restraining order.A temporary order is in effect until a hearing is held on a (non-temporary) restraining order. A restraining order will generally last up to two years.Violation of a restraining order can result in the harasser being arrested and/or held in contempt of court.
Good luck to you. If you have any additional questions, please press the reply button, and I will be happy to assist you further.I hope you found my answer helpful. Please click on the GREEN ACCEPT for my answer. This is necessary for me to be paid for my work and so that I can get credit for assisting you-no payment for my time and effort is made until you click accept. A BONUS TIP is also appreciated. Your question will not close, and you will still have the opportunity to follow-up if needed. Leaving a bonus and positive feedback is not required, but doing so is certainly appreciated! Remember that the correct answer is not necessarily always the one you may want to read, but it is important that I give you the most legally correct answer for your situation based on the facts you have provided, so please be courteous when deciding whether to accept an answer and when leaving feedback. DISCLAIMER: This response is limited by the information that you have provided to this lawyer. Based on the information you have provided, I have responded based on my knowledge and interpretation of existing laws. It is possible that if the same question was asked to another lawyer, the response could be different. This response is for "Legal Informational" purposes only and should not be confused with "Legal Advice" and nothing in this response should be construed as legal advice for any individual case. Under no circumstances does this response directly or indirectly, establish or intend to establish an Attorney-Client relationship. This response is not and shall not be construed as a solicitation for the legal services of any attorney. If you have already retained a lawyer in connection with this inquiry and this fact is unknown to this lawyer, this response should not be construed as impending and/or interfering with your attorney-client relationship with such attorney. This information is limited in scope and is confined to the question asked and should not be relied upon to provide a comprehensive picture of any particular situation and you are strongly encouraged to seek counsel for further course of action, if applicable. In other words, this response is not intended nor shall it be construed as providing you with all the information that your legal questions/issues may require. If you do require legal advice and retention/hiring of an attorney, I encourage you to consult an attorney who is actively engaged in the practice of law in the area of law relevant to your legal questions/issues and who is admitted to the bar or lawyer licensing agency in your jurisdiction(s) or the jurisdiction(s) that has jurisdiction over your legal questions/issues. This attorney is not responsible for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damage related to your use of this response, whether from errors or omissions in the content of the response or any other sites that I may provide to you for reference.
Attorney
2+ years as an attorney with experience in criminal defense, family law, estates and personal injury