Theft is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person is accused of taking something of value with the intent to not give it back. For many, holidays mean decorating and often, the decorating includes adding fun things around the outside of their house to show the spirit. As Halloween is the October holiday, it wouldn’t be unusual to see creepy decorations, like skeletons, ghosts, and witches in various forms in and around people’s homes. However, apparently one person’s skeleton made someone upset, as a man was caught on ring camera taking a family’s skeleton. According to the report, the man came up to the front porch and attempted to take the skeleton off the rocking chair. After realizing the skeleton was zip tied to the chair, the man picked up the chair and deposited it into the back of his truck before driving off. The homeowner has no idea who the man is or why he would have taken the items. He filed a police report and turned over the security footage. If caught, the porch pirate would be facing charges of Theft.
Theft Attorney in Larimer County: Definition of Skeleton Theft in Colorado
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Theft – C.R.S. 18-4-401 – is:
(a) Intends to deprive the other person permanently of the use or benefit of the thing of value;
(b) Knowingly uses, conceals, or abandons the thing of value in such manner as to deprive the other person permanently of its use or benefit;
(c) Uses, conceals, or abandons the thing of value intending that such use, concealment, or abandonment will deprive the other person permanently of its use or benefit;
(d) Demands any consideration to which he or she is not legally entitled as a condition of restoring the thing of value to the other person;
(e) Knowingly retains the thing of value more than seventy-two hours after the agreed-upon time of return in any lease or hire agreement; or
(f) Intentionally misrepresents or withholds a material fact for determining eligibility for a public benefit and does so for the purpose of obtaining or retaining public benefits for which the person is not eligible.
Likely, if caught, the skeleton thief would be charged under subsection (a) for taking the chair and decoration with no permission or intention of returning.
Sentence for Theft in Loveland and Estes Park
In Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park, Theft is charged based on the value of the item or items taken. It is charged as follows:
Theft is:
(c) A class 2 misdemeanor if the value of the thing involved is three hundred dollars or more but less than one thousand dollars;
(e) A class 1 misdemeanor if the value of the thing involved is one thousand dollars or more but less than two thousand dollars;
(f) A class 6 felony if the value of the thing involved is two thousand dollars or more but less than five thousand dollars;
(g) A class 5 felony if the value of the thing involved is five thousand dollars or more but less than twenty thousand dollars;
(h) A class 4 felony if the value of the thing involved is twenty thousand dollars or more but less than one hundred thousand dollars;
(i) A class 3 felony if the value of the thing involved is one hundred thousand dollars or more but less than one million dollars; and
(j) A class 2 felony if the value of the thing involved is one million dollars or more.
In the article, the alleged victim said the skeleton and chair were worth $250. This would mean if the man was caught, he would be facing a petty offense Theft charge.
If you or someone you love has been charged with Theft, 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 Chris J Mitchell