Criminal Mischief is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person is accused of causing property damage. Four juveniles were recently arrested for this crime in Greeley after a trespassing call came into the police department. According to the report, the officers were investigating a vehicle trespass and ended up detaining four boys with gang affiliation. These boys were also linked to multiple gang graffiti reports on houses and vehicles in the same area. They will all charged with felony Criminal Mischief.
Fort Collins Gang Graffiti Criminal Mischief: Definition of Criminal Mischief in Colorado
The Fort Collins and Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Criminal Mischief – C.R.S. 18-4-501 – is:
With the situation above, the boys could be facing multiple charges, one for each house or vehicle that was covered in gang graffiti. Or, it could be considered a single criminal episode, which means all the damage would be totaled under one charge. This distinction matters when it comes to sentencing.
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. So, Criminal Mischief is:
(b) A class 2 misdemeanor when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is three hundred dollars or more but less than seven hundred fifty dollars;
(c) A class 1 misdemeanor when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is seven hundred fifty dollars or more but less than one thousand dollars;
(d) A class 6 felony when the aggregate damage to the real or personal property is one 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.
The boys were charged with at least one felony count of Criminal Mischief, so, they caused at least $1,000 worth of damage.