Minnesota Property Damage Lawyer & Attorney
A person can be charged with property damage if they have purposely caused damage to the property of another without the permission of the owner. Minnesota law says that a person can be charged with one of four degrees of property damage if it is believed that they caused any kind of damage to another person’s property.
If you have been charged with criminal damaging, you will need a Property damage lawyer or defense attorney to help you face and fight the charges. This is so you can avoid conviction, which could result in imprisonment, fines, probation, restitution, community service, and other consequences that the court deems appropriate.
Helping You Fight The Charges
Property damage can be charged as a felony or a misdemeanor. How it is charged depends on the damaged property’s value or if the damage was the result of some kind of discrimination or bias. Damaging property based on some kind of discrimination means that the damage was inflicted because of gender, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation.
Here are the different charges that a person may be faced with:
- First degree property damage – The damage was caused when there was a foreseeable risk of bodily harm to someone else, the property belonged to a common carrier and can no longer be used, the property value was more than $1,000 or the property was valued at greater than $500 and the crime was not the first one committed within the preceding three years.
- Second degree property damage – The property was damaged due to discrimination.
- Third degree property damage – The damage to property was between $500 and $1,000
- Fourth degree property damage – The property value is between $0 and $500.
Defending You Against All Types Of Property Damage
There are four specific areas that are looked at when a person has property damage charges brought against them. The first is whether or not another person was injured during the commission of the crime. Whether or not the damaged lowered the value of the property is also evaluated.
A third area that is evaluated is whether or not the owner of the property was a common carrier. A common carrier includes a train, bus, or airplane. If the damage impaired the service, then the charge may be enhanced. The fourth area is whether or not discrimination was involved.
Any type of property can be damaged. A car, home, and anything that has monetary value can be damaged. Sometimes it is intentional and sometimes it isn’t. Your Minneapolis criminal defense attorney will investigate the case and reveal the facts so you can receive the best outcome.
Contact A Minnesota Criminal Defense Lawyer
Property damage, also known as criminal damaging to property, is a crime that anyone can be charged with for a number of reasons. Perhaps the incident was a mistake or it is a charge charged in conjunction with another crime. If you have been charged with causing property damage to someone else’s property, you have the right to defend yourself. Call the Anderson Law Firm, PLLC today at 952-582-2904 for a free consultation.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this article does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Please contact attorney Kirk Anderson for an initial consultation.