Malicious Mischief Case And It’s Possible Challenges

Destroying or even damaging any person’s property in any way is against the law. The Penal Code puts this offense under the misdemeanor section, but do not be fooled – despite being a misdemeanor, an offender may be risking to spend up to 6 months in county jail.

With that said, there are plenty of variations of things that may eventually result in destroying or damaging a person’s property. First of all, it is important to understand that damage may be caused by negligence or intentionally. Sure enough, if the act was intentional, legal penalties are going to be a whole lot more severe. So what can be considered an act of malicious mischief? Well, drawing graffiti on walls is a good example, setting off a fire alarm in any public institution without there being a fire is also malicious mischief, puncturing car tires, throwing a person’s phone in the river, even breaking windows of a police car – you name it.

When it comes to legal penalties, offenders may be facing expensive fines, probation time and, if the offense was severe enough, even jail time. Do not forget about the restitution. This basically means that the offender will be obliged by court to pay for any damages caused by his or her actions. He or she will have to pay for restoration of the property or for acquiring new things to begin with. In court, the judge and the prosecutor will take a closer look to the offender’s behavior, his criminal records and so on in order to make an informed decision in line with all the accumulated information. This is where a qualified as well as genuinely experienced legal representative will be absolutely invaluable. It is never a good idea to represent yourself in court and public defenders have too much on their hands as is.

Therefore, if you or your loved ones were charged with a malicious mischief crime, do not hesitate to get in touch with a good Los Angeles criminal lawyer at the earliest opportunity. He will assess the case and go through all the available evidence in order to eventually convince the judge and the prosecutor that you are a kind of person that deserves a second chance and that you were simply acting in line with your emotions. This is the only way to avoid most severe legal penalties.

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys, www.losangeles-criminaldefense.org