Jail is a frightening place to be for almost any individual. A Theft Defense Lawyer can fight for your rights and your freedom against criminal charges. Relying on a public defender isn’t a very good idea because they usually have a lot of clients they have to represent and they’re paid by the same state, city, or county that the prosecutor works for. Even theft charges for bad checks or shoplifting could hurt an individual’s opportunity for employment now and in the future, and affect their life forever.
Shoplifting
Some individual who has been accused of shoplifting may have been wrongfully charged. In other cases, many clients are embarrassed and regretful that did such an act and realize it’s a mistake. In these types of cases, a Theft Defense Lawyer can present an individual in the best light possible to try to reduce or eliminate the charges against the individual.
Circumstances That Could Cause A Theft Charge
If an individual takes control of someone else’s property or obtains someone’s property by deception, this could be considered theft. When an individual obtains someone’s property by threatening them or takes property that is stolen, they could be charged with theft. In addition, there must be probable cause that someone committed a crime.
Theft Penalties
If the value of the property was under $1,000, it’s considered a Class A misdemeanor and an individual could spend up to a year in jail. When $1,000-$25, worth of property is stolen, it’s a Level 9 felony and could land someone in jail for five to seventeen months if they had no prior convictions. The penalties continue to increase with higher amounts of jail time that are based on the value of the property that was taken.
First Offense
If an individual has no prior criminal conviction, an attorney might be able to help an individual get probation instead of going to jail. The length of a sentence is always dependent upon a judge’s ruling. It’s important to have experienced legal counsel fighting the charges.
Don’t let a theft charge affect the rest of your life, especially when you feel remorseful and embarrassed about the crime. For more information on fighting theft charges, please visit website.
