What You Should Know About Property Crimes and Your Legal Defense Options
When you are charged with a crime, it is important that you seek out legal assistance to help you with your case. Consulting with legal professionals helps you receive a fair hearing and ensures that our justice system works the way in which it was intended: that you are innocent until you are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. A criminal defense and DWI lawyer at our firm will fight diligently for you, making sure that your side is heard.
Right now, the team at the Trumpler Law Firm would like to consider the nature of property crimes and what these kinds of cases involve.
Property Crimes Broadly Defined
Property crimes refer to various offenses that result in the loss of, theft of, or damage to another person's property. Since there are many different kinds of offenses that are classified as property crimes, the punishments for the crimes will vary a fair amount given the circumstances of the case.
Burglary, Theft, Larceny, and Robbery
These are various offenses that involve the taking of another person's property.
- Burglary - Burglary refers to someone unlawfully entering another person's home or business with the intent of stealing property from said location.
- Theft/Larceny - Theft and larceny are interchangeable terms that refer to the simple taking of another person's property without their consent.
- Robbery - Robbery refers to a perpetrator using force or threat of force in order to deprive a person of his or her property.
Shoplifting
Shoplifting involves the unlawful theft of goods from a retail establishment. This could mean taking clothes, food, electronics, and other items that are regularly sold at a given business.
Motor Vehicle Theft
Motor vehicle theft means the taking of another person's vehicle. This can be done with or without the owner of the vehicle present. One serious example of motor vehicle theft is carjacking, which is a form of robbery.
Vandalism/Defacing Property
Vandalism refers to any sorts of actions that involve a person defacing a property without the consent of the property owner. This could mean spray painting and tagging, or it may simply mean the damage of the property itself in some form.
Arson
Arson refers to a person intentionally setting a property on fire with the intent to harm said property. The act may also be done with the intent to harm those in or adjacent to the property.
How Our Legal Team Can Help You
If you or someone that you love has been charged with a property crime of any kind, this needs to be taken very seriously. Some charges can involve severe fines and years of imprisonment. Our criminal defense lawyers will fight diligently for you, examining all evidence and developing a solid defense strategy that can help prove your innocence or minimize the penalties that you will face. It's foolish to go it alone, so be sure to speak with our experts about all of your legal options.
Learn More About Property Crime Law
If you would like to learn more about your legal options following any charges that are related to property crime, it's important that you contact our Austin, Texas criminal defense lawyers today. At The Law Offices of Jason Trumpler, we will fight diligently for you and ensure that your side is well represented in court.
