Amelia County Burglary Lawyer
If you have already been arrested and accused of burglary, time is of the essence. You could benefit from speaking with a skilled attorney who is familiar with all aspects of your burglary charge and how any past charges on your record could influence the current one.
An Amelia county burglary lawyer could assist you with the preparation of your criminal case so that you know what to expect.
Burglary charges carry not only the possible penalties under the law but also the stigma that you could be a thief. This could make it harder to get a job in the future or even to be rented a home. Take your burglary charges seriously and fight back to protect your future.
Basics of Burglary Charges
Serious repercussions could apply for someone who has been accused of burglary. If an accused party has entered a business, house or another structure with the intention of committing a crime, they will more than likely face burglary charges.
The lowest level of burglary crime is referred to as breaking and entering in the state of Virginia. This might mean only breaking down a door or a window. But it could meet the grounds for the definition of using physical force against a secure structure like a home or business. This is explained under Code of Virginia 18.2-92.
Serious Burglary Charges
Most burglary convictions are labeled as class 3 felonies which can be punished by fines of up to $100,000 and as many as 20 years in prison.
However, the penalties can be amplified if the accused party was carrying a deadly weapon, whether concealed or unconcealed, during the commission of the burglary. This could elevate the charges to those of a Class 2 felony. The state law recognizes two forms of burglary: statutory and common law.
Statutory burglary includes breaking and entering with the intent to commit murder, rape, robbery or arson, breaking and entering with the intent to commit larceny, felony other than murder, rape or arson, and assault and battery, and breaking and entering with the intent to commit a misdemeanor.
Common law burglary refers to entering another person’s house illegally at night time, defined as 30 minutes following sunset and 30 minutes prior to sunrise.
Possible Burglary Defenses
Some defenses could be available to you if you chose to hire a burglary lawyer in Amelia county. This will depend on the individual circumstances and facts of the case.
If the criminal defense attorney, for example, could prove that the accused party was the rightful owner of the piece of property and that it was being taken back at the point in time that the party was on another person’s property, this could be a potential defense scenario.
Find an Experienced Amelia County Burglary Attorney Today
A knowledgeable Amelia county burglary lawyer could help an accused person to walk through the various stages of the case and anticipate what the prosecution might attempt to argue in court.
These circumstances could be especially confusing or overwhelming but working with a lawyer could help to pave the way for protecting the rights of the accused.
