Criminal Mischief – C.R.S. 18-4-501 is a serious and common offense, and can result in possible jail or prison time in Larimer County. This offense is also referred to as Property Damage, or Vandalism. This crime ranges anywhere from a class 2 misdemeanor to a class 3 felony in Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park.
What is Criminal Mischief in Larimer County?
A person will be charged with Criminal Mischief in Larimer County if they:
- “Knowingly damage” the personal property of another person. This includes items that are jointly owned.
It is important to understand that you can even be charged with Criminal Mischief if you vandalize an item that you own, if another person owns it as well. Criminal Mischief is charged as a class 2 misdemeanor when the worth of all the property that is damaged is less than $500. At the other extreme, when the worth of all damaged property is $20,000 or more, a person commits a class 3 felony. There are many levels of severity; all of them are determined by the aggregate worth of all the items that were damaged.
An Example of Criminal Mischief in Fort Collins
It is difficult to picture when a good person would knowingly damage property. Outright vandalism is also charged as Criminal Mischief, but the average person doesn’t usually feel the need to destroy random people’s property. Criminal Mischief is often charged when good people do stupid things – such as getting angry during a fight, and it is added as a separate crime. For example: Let’s say that a Fort Collins man and his girlfriend get into an argument after watching an Avalanche hockey game. They scream at each other for a while before the girlfriend leaves the apartment. Her boyfriend follows her, and angrily throws a rock at the car as she drives past. The rock breaks her window, and hits her in the head, slightly injuring her. This man could be charged with Third Degree Assault – C.R.S. 18-3-204 (for hitting her in the head with the rock), Domestic Violence – C.R.S. 18-6-800.3 (because the incident occurred between two people who have an “intimate relationship”) and Criminal Mischief – C.R.S. 18-4-501 (for causing damage to her car). Good people do stupid things like throwing an ex’s phone out of a car, or smashing your own TV in frustration during a fight (you will be charged because the TV belongs to both you and your spouse).
A criminal record never has a good effect on your future. We work hard to dismiss cases before they even go to trial. Don’t stand alone in court – work with an experienced Christian criminal defense attorney who has a thorough grasp and understanding of criminal law in Fort Collins, Johnstown and Berthoud.
If you or a loved one has been charged with Criminal Mischief in Larimer County, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the O’Malley Law Office at 970-658-0007. Together, we can protect your future.
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