PROPERTY CRIMES DEFENSE IN DENVER

There are several types of property crimes a person can be charged within Colorado. The exact charge will depend on the circumstances of a case, but all types of property crime convictions will impact a person’s life to one degree or another.

To protect your rights and give you the best possible chance at minimizing the impact of a property crime charge, it is important that you speak with one of the skilled and experienced defense attorneys at Decker & Jones as soon as possible.

A person can be charged with criminal mischief if they damage the property of another, including property owned jointly by that person and others.

Criminal mischief can be a class 3 or 4 felony, or a class 1 or 2 misdemeanor.

A person can be charged with 1st-degree criminal trespass if they knowingly and unlawfully enter or remain in a dwelling of another person, or if that person enters any motor vehicle with intent to commit a crime.

First-degree criminal trespass is a class 5 felony.

A person can be charged with 2nd-degree criminal trespass if they:

• Unlawfully enter or remain in or on the premises of another person’s property which are enclosed and designed to exclude intruders.
• Unlawfully enter or remain in or on the common areas of a hotel, motel, condominium, or apartment building.
• Unlawfully enter or remain in another person’s motor vehicle.

Second-degree criminal trespass cases can be charged as a class 4 felony, or a class 2 or 3 misdemeanor.

A person can be charged with 3rd-degree criminal trespass if they unlawfully enter or remain in or on premises of another.

Third-degree criminal trespass is a class 1 petty offense, but it is a class 3 misdemeanor if the premises have been classified by the county assessor as agricultural lands.

Third-degree criminal trespass is a class 5 felony if the individual trespasses on agricultural lands with the intent to commit a felony.

A person can be charged with 1st-degree criminal tampering if they tamper with the property of a utility or institution with intent to cause interruption or impairment of a service rendered to the public by an entity providing health or safety protection.

First-degree criminal tampering is a class 1 misdemeanor.

A person can be charged with 2nd-degree criminal tampering if they tamper with another person’s property with intent to cause injury, inconvenience, or annoyance, or if it is to create an unauthorized connection with the property of a utility.

Second-degree criminal tampering is a class 2 misdemeanor.

A person can be charged with defacing property if they destroy, deface, remove, or damage a historical monument.

A person can also be charged with defacing property if they deface or they cause, aid or permit a property to be defaced without the consent of the owner. This includes any method of defacement such as painting, drawing, writing, or otherwise marring the surface of the property by use of paint, spray paint, ink, or any other substance or object.

Defacing property is a class 1 misdemeanor.

A person can be charged with abandonment of a motor vehicle if they abandon any motor vehicle on a street, highway, or any other public property, or on any private property without the express consent of the person who is lawfully in charge of that private property.

Abandonment of a motor vehicle is a class 3 misdemeanor.

A person can be charged with unlawful transfer for sale if they, without the consent of the owner, transfer any copyrighted sounds recorded on a phonograph record, video disc, wire, tape, film, or other article on which sounds are recorded with the intent to sell it.

Unlawful transfer for sale is a class 6 felony.

A person can be charged with concealment or removal of secured property if they conceal or remove property from the state of Colorado without the written consent of the secured creditor where it is be required.

Concealment or removal of secured property can be a class 5 felony or a class 1 misdemeanor.

To give yourself the best possible chance of preserving your freedom and protecting your rights if you have been charged with a property crime in Colorado, it is essential that you talk to one of the experienced defense attorneys at Decker & Jones as soon as you are charged or if you believe you may be charged with a property crime.