No. You do not have to cause serious injury to face a felony assault charge in Rhode Island, because a dangerous weapon can elevate the charge on its own. Under the state's felony assault law, using or brandishing a dangerous weapon during an assault can make it a felony even if the other person is not badly hurt or is not touched at all. Serious bodily injury is one route to a felony charge, but it is not the only one. This is why cases involving a weapon are charged as felonies so often, and why what qualifies as a dangerous weapon matters so much, since a wide range of objects can count depending on how they were used. The absence of a serious injury does not by itself take a felony assault charge off the table, but it can be an important part of arguing the charge down.
