Being charged with any crime is scary and confusing. You are not sure of what can or will happen, or how to proceed. When the charge is burglary, it can be even more confusing. The best and most important thing to do is to immediately contact a burglary offense lawyer. Burglary charges may be either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances. Your lawyer will look at all the evidence and together you will decide how to proceed. Here is some information to help you understand things a little better.
Burglary
It is important to understand that burglary is defined as entering a building or automobile without permission and with the intent to commit a crime. This means that you do not have to do anything other than enter the place with the intent of doing something illegal. It could be that you were planning to damage or steal something. However, proving intent can be difficult. If your lawyer can disprove any claim that you were planning to do something, the burglary charge will be dropped or lessened to breaking and entering.
Felony or Misdemeanor?
If it can be proven that you were there to commit a crime, such as you were found holding a bag of items you were stealing, then the question will be whether you will be given a misdemeanor or felony. If there were people in the place when you went in, you will be charged with a felony offense. If you had a weapon on you, it is also a felony. If neither of these are true, your lawyer should be able to keep the burglary charge at the misdemeanor level.
Secondary Charge
Since there must be the intent to commit a crime for it to be burglary, there is going to be a charge for that crime if you were able to begin it. The most common secondary charges include, larceny, assault, destruction of property, or arson. Depending on the severity of the second charge, your lawyer may get the prosecutor to drop the burglary charge. Sometimes, it will go the other way around and the secondary charge will be dropped leaving you with only the burglary charge.
If you are ever caught someplace you do not have permission to be, comply with the police as far as being stopped, handcuffed, and taken to the station, However, the only thing you should tell them is your name and that you want to speak with a lawyer, like Cheryl Brown Attorney at Law. Let your attorney do the talking for you to ensure the best outcome of the situation that is possible.
Share31 May 2018
There are so many legal situations that you can find yourself involved with, but do those situations really require that you hire an attorney? Some instances you may not need an attorney working with you, but in other situations, an attorney is definitely a necessity. This blog contains tips and advice for working through the different elements of the legal system. You will find information that can help you determine if/when you need to hire an attorney to represent your best interests. Knowing this information can help you avoid the costly mistake of taking on the legal system without someone who knows how the system works.
