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Criminal Mischief is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person is accused of causing property damage. While motives were not shared in the article, a man and woman were recently arrested for Burglary and Criminal Mischief after causing destruction at a furniture store. According to the report, law enforcement used surveillance to find the couple within the furniture store. They refused to come out when commanded by police, so pepper spray was deployed and the couple was taken into custody. No exact numbers were provided, but it was estimated that the couple caused thousands of dollars in damages.
Larimer County Criminal Mischief Lawyer: Definition of Furniture Destruction Criminal Mischief in Colorado
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Criminal Mischief – C.R.S. 18-4-501 – is:
Obviously, when talking about a furniture store, none of the property damaged belonged to the couple. However, you can also be charged with this crime if you damage property that’s jointly owned. We see examples of this in Domestic Violence cases. Let’s say a husband breaks the TV remote in anger by throwing it against the wall. Neighbors hear and call the police. The wife admits that the remote was broken during the fight and now he is facing Criminal Mischief – Domestic Violence charges, even though he technically just broke his own property.
Sentence for Criminal Mischief in Loveland and Estes Park
In Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park, Criminal Mischief is charged based on the amount of damage caused. It is charged as follows:
(a) A petty offense when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is less than three hundred dollars;
(b) A class 2 misdemeanor when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is three hundred dollars or more but less than one thousand dollars;
(c) A class 1 misdemeanor when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is one thousand dollars or more but less than two thousand dollars;
(d) A class 6 felony when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is two thousand dollars or more but less than five thousand dollars;
(e) A class 5 felony when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is five thousand dollars or more but less than twenty thousand dollars;
(f) A class 4 felony when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is twenty thousand dollars or more but less than one hundred thousand dollars;
(g) A class 3 felony when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is one hundred thousand dollars or more but less than one million dollars; and
(h) A class 2 felony when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is one million dollars or more.
Because the article stated there was ‘thousands’ of dollars in damages, the couple could be facing a misdemeanor or felony charge. Less than two thousands dollars would be a misdemeanor and $2,000 or more worth of damages would be a felony.
If you or someone you love has been charged with Criminal Mischief, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-658-0007 to schedule a free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko