Vandalism

Have you or someone that you know been charged with vandalism in the San Diego area?  It doesn’t matter what sort of vandalism you are accused of; tagging or graffiti or defacing of property, the charges can be pretty severe.  This is why you need to contact a Criminal Defense Attorney in San Diego at the Law Offices of The Car Crash Counselors as soon as possible.

Only with an experienced defense lawyer can the charges against you be lowered or dismissed altogether.  And let’s face it, when it comes to vandalism, it is incredibly easy to be wrongly accused.  All it takes is you being in the wrong place at the wrong time or being seen by the wrong person and before you know it your entire future has been totally devastated.

What is Vandalism?

Vandalism is when a person is accused of ruining property that does not belong to them.  Whether the ruination occurs through defacing, graffiti, tagging or any other method, the point is that sometimes valuable property is ruined in the process, which is why there are so many heavy penalties attached to an accusation of vandalism.

Types of vandalism include braking windows and doors, etching or carving into glass or wood (this includes furniture), tagging with markers or paint or in any other way intentionally destroying or defacing someone else’s property.

Penalties for vandalism can include being charged with a felony, facing large fines, jail time (or even state prison) and a strike against your record under California’s “three strikes” law.  Can you see why it is so important that you get the very best defense lawyer possible?

Why You Need Legal Representation

As mentioned earlier, it is incredibly easy to be wrongly accused of vandalism.  In fact, a charge of vandalism can be based on the testimony of someone who has a bone to pick with the accused and wishes to make their lives as messy and as complicated as possible.

If the damage incurred comes to over $400 or if the person charged has a prior criminal record or it is believed and proven to be a hate crime then the crime can be charged as a felony under California law.  This greatly increases the penalties and can include jail time, fines of up to $10,000 or special conditions of probation which include the payback of damaged property.  In certain circumstances it can also be charged as a “strike” against a person’s record.

If you are innocent of the charges it is imperative that you secure the best defense possible.  Even if you did commit the crime, you need a good defense attorney to ensure that you receive a fair trial and that you are not charged for more than you were responsible for either in financial restitution or in other penalties such as jail time.  So contact The Law Office of The Car Crash Counselors today in order to let them start building the case in your defense.