Dismissal of Criminal Mischief Charges for a High Schooler
Criminal mischief is a phenomenon that includes intentionally damaging, tampering with, or destroying an individual’s property without seeking permission. Such a charge entails acts like smashing windows, spray-painting on public buildings, or causing damage to public properties.
In Pennsylvania, the charges and penalties for criminal mischief depend on the value of the damaged property. Charges can range anywhere from as minor as summary offenses all the way up to felonies!
Now, summary offenses are the least serious of charges. But a conviction can make your record appear to potential employers or landlords, and might severely impact your job prospects.
Recently, we at Logue Law Group received a case where an Oreland-based high-schooler was facing criminal mischief charges. The boy didn’t want to disrupt his prospects, and likewise, resorted to our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers for help.
What happened next? Well, follow along to learn more!
What was the Reason Behind the Charges?
So, as briefed by our client, he had a peer at high school whom he considered to be his competition. And according to our client, his peer used to mock him in front of the whole class for his last academic performance, which didn’t quite go as he expected.
Out of shame caused by the humiliation, our client decided to teach his peer a lesson. Therefore, he snuck out of his home at night, and threw eggs at his peer’s home.
Unfortunately, the home had security cameras installed, which clearly showed footage of our client’s actions. And as a result, the Springfield Township Police Department charged our client with criminal mischief, alleging property damage.
How Did We Help?
After hearing the case, our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers immediately understood that this was nothing more than a summary offense. But our client had requested that he couldn’t afford a permanent criminal conviction against his name. Therefore, we started to craft a good defense to make sure that we could extract some alternative sentences for him.
We argued with the prosecution about our client’s clean record. Added to that, this was the first-ever offense of our client. Keeping these factors in mind, the court finally agreed to our negotiations and ruled our client eligible to get admitted to a diversionary program.
Now, according to the regulations of the program, our client had to complete a CPR course, along with a basic first aid course. Our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers advised our client to complete the courses judicially.
Since his future was at stake, our client listened to our advice and completed the entire diversionary program effectively. This resulted in a complete dismissal of his case, which meant that he was now free to move on with his life.
A Second Chance is All it Takes
At Logue Law Group, our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers sincerely believe that every individual deserves a second chance. And that’s why we always put the interests of our clients first.
We knew that a summary offense charge was nothing serious. But in this case, it had the risks of creating hurdles to our client’s prospects. Hence, we did what we do best, and made sure that our client’s rights and future stay protected.
If you, or someone you know, is facing criminal mischief charges, don’t sit back and turn on the blame game! Instead, dial 412-387-6901 and schedule a free consultation with our expert lawyers today!