Dallas Criminal Lawyer
Theft
Being convicted of a theft crime, even a misdemeanor, can greatly harm your future prospects. This crime will severely impact a person’s opinion of your trustworthiness. Few landlords want to rent to a person who may steal from other tenants and few employers will want to hire a person who may take money from the till. That is why it is so important to always work with a skilled Dallas criminal attorney whenever you are accused of theft.
Theft can involve all types of valuables, including cars, money, merchandise, personal information or other property. The crime is broken into a number of different charges based on how the crime occurred and the punishments for these are further divided based on the value of the stolen goods. If you aren’t sure about the potential penalties you are facing, please speak with your Dallas criminal lawyer.
If you have taken property worth less than $50, you will normally be charged with a Class C misdemeanor. If the value is greater than $50, but less than $500, the charge is a Class B misdemeanor. The values and penalties continue to rise, until the property is valued at over $200,000, when the crime becomes a first degree felony, punishable by life imprisonment and $10,000 in fines. Certain crimes will be looked upon more severely due to the imminent danger to the theft victim; these crimes include car jacking and armed robbery.
There are a lot of strategies for theft used by our crime defense in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas. Many people caught shoplifting, for example, are arrested before they tried to leave the store. In these cases, we can argue that you still intended to pay for the item. If you were pulled over without reason, even if you were driving a stolen car, your rights have been violated and we can fight to have the charges dropped. If a police officer found stolen goods when he searched you without a reasonable suspicion, your Dallas theft criminal attorney can have the evidence suppressed based on its being uncovered in an unconstitutional search.
If you have been charged with theft, please speak with a Dallas criminal lawyer at Crain Lewis, L.P. immediately.