McKinney Criminal Mischief Lawyer
Criminal mischief falls under crimes against property. It refers to the willful damaging of the property of another.
In Texas, a person could be facing charges of criminal mischief if he intentionally or knowingly damaged someone else’s property or he intentionally or knowingly tampers with someone else’s property causing loss or substantial inconvenience or he intentionally making marks, graffiti, inscriptions, or drawings on the property of another.
If you happen to commit any of the above-mentioned acts, you may be called in court to answer to criminal mischief charges. If this happens, we urge you to call us at The Goolsby Law Firm. We provide experienced and skilled criminal defense lawyers to help you defend your case and achieve a favorable decision from the court.
Criminal mischief charge is a more serious matter when a juvenile is involved. If your child is convicted of criminal mischief, this could affect his life especially his studies. The ability of a lawyer to handle such case is taken into consideration. At The Goolsby Law Firm, our criminal defense lawyers will do a more child-friendly defense aimed to achieve a dismissal of a case or reduction of penalty charges for the child’s benefit.
Criminal mischief has several classifications depending on the circumstances of the offense and value of damage to the property.
- Class C – the damage sustained is valued at less than $50 or causes a substantial inconvenience to others. This is punishable by $500 fine.
- Class B- the damage sustained is valued more than $50 but less than $500. This is punishable up to 180 days in jail and fines reaching $2,000.
- Class A- the damage sustained is valued at more than $500 and less than $1,500 or if damage sustained is less than $1,500 and causes impairment of interruption of public communications, public transportation, gas or power or any other public service, or if the mischief causes any impairment or interruption of the water supply. This is punishable up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
- State Jail Felony- The damage sustained is valued between $1,500 – $20,000 or less than $1,500 and the property is a habitation where damaged done by fire or explosion or less than $1,500 and the property was a fence to keep livestock or animals in. This is punishable by up to 180 days to 2 years in jail and fines reaching $10,000.
- Third degree felony- The damage sustained is valued at $20,000 to $100,000 and punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and fine of $10,000.
- Second degree felony- The damage sustained is valued at $100,000 to $200,000 and punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and fine of $10,000.
- First degree felony- the damage sustained is valued more than $200,000 and punishable by 5 to 99 years in jail and fine reaching $10,000.
The Goolsby Law Firm has been defending the accused for many years and continues to provide residents of North Texas and McKinney with aggressive representation in court. Our experience has made us familiar with handling different kinds of criminal mischief cases. If you happen to be charged with criminal mischief in Texas, The Goolsby Law Firm can help. We will provide you with strong aggressive defense against criminal mischief charges.
