Theft Crimes Attorney In Independence, Ohio

Theft crimes are defined and organized differently in every state. In general, Ohio law defines theft as the unauthorized taking of property when the person taking the property has the intent to permanently deprive the owner of possession of the property. It is illegal to knowingly take or exert control over property without an owner’s consent, or beyond the scope of implied or express consent that the owner originally provided. It is also illegal to use deception or threats of force to obtain consent to take the property. Shoplifting is not listed as a separate crime under Ohio law. Instead, it is treated as a type of theft. A theft crime lawyer in Cleveland can assess whether the offense you’re charged with matches the facts of your case.

There are many different classifications and degrees of theft in Ohio, including both misdemeanors with relatively low penalties and felonies that carry heavy sentences. A misdemeanor of the first degree, for example, involves situations where the property stolen was valued at less than $1,000. The punishment is imprisonment for no more than 180 days along with a fine of less than $1,000. Felony theft in the first degree, also known as aggravated theft, involves situations where the property taken is more than $1.5 million in value. The punishment is a prison term of three to 11 years and a fine of less than $20,000. There are many other classifications between these two categories. Ensuring that you are charged appropriately is a critical step to defending your rights and to mitigating any potential sentencing, and an experienced Cleveland theft crime attorney can help with this.

When it comes to burglary, Ohio generally defines the offense as trespassing with the intent to commit a criminal offense in either an occupied building where someone else is present or in an occupied home when the person who resides there is or is likely to be at home. The charge is elevated to aggravated burglary where other individuals are present in the structure or home and the defendant threatens or injures one of the persons, or has a deadly weapon in his or her possession. Although guns, knives, and crowbars are considered deadly weapons, there are many other objects that could fall into this classification and result in an elevated charge. Similar to the theft laws, charges associated with a burglary offense involve anywhere from 3 months to 11 years’ incarceration and a monetary fine.