Theft Allegations in PA Colleges? Trusted Defense Support Available
For many young individuals in the country, college is one of the greatest times of their lives. The fine colleges or universities in Pennsylvania bring them close to people around their age. They get to share experiences, living spaces, classes, and facilities with them! However, with so many people in close quarters, something is bound to go awry.
Things can go missing–either yours or others. Sometimes it’s a misplaced student ID, a wallet, keys, or watches. Sometimes, it’s a human error, like forgetfulness. But sometimes, it’s a crime.
Theft on a college campus is taken very seriously. Both the government and the university will take steps to address it. And if you or someone you know gets accused of such a crime, you don’t have to be alone. Seeking legal counsel from a Pittsburgh criminal lawyer is imperative. Let’s discuss more about on-campus theft below.
PA Laws Against Theft
Usual theft charges regarding college students include:
Theft by unlawful taking
This statute is kind of a catch-all. It includes taking any “movable property of another” as long as the intent of depriving the other person of that property exists.
Retail theft
Shoplifting is given a legal term with retail theft. The offense levels for this theft in PA range from a first offense to a summary offense. With each charge, the value of the stolen merchandise increases.
Library theft
This obviously covers the intentional crime of taking something from the library without checking it out. However, this is a crime of intent. You won’t be charged if you mistakenly load your backpack with your books and accidentally put in a library book.
Theft of lost property
Finder’s keepers doesn’t apply in the real world all the time. If you find something that belongs to someone, but you don’t take the right measures to return it, especially when you know it has been misdelivered, lost, or mislaid, it’s a crime.
Theft of services
This theft covers dining and dashing, watching TV for free by splicing into your neighbor’s cable, and so on.
There are more statutes of criminal theft in PA. If you’re charged with any of them while enrolled in college, you’re facing double the trouble. You will have to deal with the criminal charges and the possibility of the college bringing disciplinary action against you. For both situations, you will need the help of a Pittsburgh criminal lawyer. Especially one who has experience with dual-prosecution scenarios.
Disciplinary Actions Taken by Colleges/Universities
Sometimes, your school will prosecute you even if the government doesn’t. Most schools have their own prohibitions, rules, and codes of conduct. All of this enables them to file disciplinary proceedings for theft. So, even if you get acquitted in a court, you still might face disciplinary actions at school.
Needless to say, this gets extremely stressful. School disciplinary proceedings might look similar to a criminal prosecution, but there’s one glaring difference. You have more rights in the court than in a student discipline case. You can still dispute them during a formal hearing procedure.
During this hearing procedure, both sides can present evidence and arguments. Many schools will allow you to have a personal representative. So, if you’re facing such proceedings, you need a Pittsburgh criminal lawyer as your representative.
At Logue Law Group, we understand the challenges of facing a prosecution twice. Both the government and your school can cause you stress and get complicated. You need expert guidance in such double-prosecution situations. An experienced Pittsburgh criminal lawyer can help you with both. Contact us at sean@seanloguelaw.com to schedule a consultation. Find out how our expert Pittsburgh criminal lawyers can help you protect your future both off and on campus.