Criminal Mischief Charges in PA: What You Need to Know
Someone breaks your friend’s heart, and you decide this mustn’t go unpunished. So, you grab another friend and go spray paint the ex’s door. While this might seem like an impulsive act with no harm done, legally, this is vandalism that constitutes criminal mischief.
Since you recklessly or intentionally defaced or damaged another person’s property. In the state of Pennsylvania, the criminal mischief consequences can be quite severe.
In this blog, we will discuss criminal mischief. We will take a closer look at what its examples are and what your Pittsburgh criminal lawyer can do for you if you’re charged.
Understanding Criminal Mischief
Criminal mischief in PA law is when a person, without consent, recklessly or intentionally tampers, destroys, damages, or defaces the tangible property of another person. Property can include physical objects such as vehicles, buildings, and other tangible personal property of another.
Additionally, this law also applies when one person or a group recklessly or intentionally damages tangible public property, such as monuments, buildings, or statues.
If you endanger the lives of others or cause the other person to suffer financial loss in the act of destroying property, you can be charged with criminal mischief.
Criminal Mischief Examples
While we have discussed what actions lead to a criminal mischief charge, many scenarios fall under this category. There is a wide range of violent actions against personal or real property. Here are some of the more common examples:
- Damaging doors or breaking windows of a home or building, causing the owner to suffer financial loss. Substantially interrupting or impairing them from living or operating their business is also added to this.
- Using a sharp object to key someone’s car has potential repair expenses and unsightly damage.
- Using a paintball marker or gun to intentionally deface personal property, such as vehicles, walls, or fences, leaving permanent stains or marks. Devices like a broad-tipped indelible marker or paint can are also included.
- Defacing public property with graffiti, such as monuments, bridges, or public walls. This act ruins tangible public property, defacing the aesthetics and depreciating the property’s value.
- Setting explosives or fireworks recklessly to damage the tangible property of another. Destruction can include scorched surfaces, structural harm, or broken windows.
- Defacing personal private property with the intention, especially a neighbor’s fence, is vandalism.
What Your Lawyer Can Do
Your Pittsburgh criminal lawyer will carefully analyze every aspect of the case to identify whether there’s enough evidence for everything you have been accused of.
- Your lawyer will attempt to discredit evidence that’s not in your favor.
- Much of what your Pittsburgh criminal lawyer can do will rely on the precise conditions of your case.
- You may not have had any criminal intent. If you didn’t, your lawyer will collect the evidence to prove it.
Your Pittsburgh criminal lawyer will be exploring every avenue. So, you must provide them with all the information necessary to support your case.
A determined prosecutor will be facing you, even before your first criminal mischief hearing. You need a Pittsburgh criminal lawyer who will stand by you throughout the process and work hard to discredit evidence.
At Logue Law Group, we work hard to ensure the best possible outcome for you. Contact us at sean@seanloguelaw.com today.