Two teens, ages 19 and 16 years old, were recently arrested by Ocala police on suspicion of a breaking into cars in the Fore Ranch community. There had been a number of complaints about vehicles being broken into in the area and item stolen so officers were patrolling the neighborhood more extensively. Two teens had been reported by witnesses as being possible suspects. Their description was passed on from a crimes detective with the department to patrolling officers. The officers patrolling the neighborhood spotted three teens with backpacks and said that two of them matched the description of the suspects.
The three boys were detained for questioning and at one point the eldest teen, W.M., attempted to run away. A search of his backpack revealed burglary tools. He was also found to be in possession of a pair of glasses, a stun gun and a camera that had been reported missing from one of the vehicles that had been broken into. W.M. admitted to the officers that he and the 16-year-old were in the area with the purpose of taking things out of unlocked cars. The third teen had not been involved in the burglaries or thefts and was released. W.M. and the other teen allegedly involved were taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor and felony theft crimes including seven counts of burglary of a conveyance, two counts of petit theft and three counts of grand theft. Speak with a criminal defense lawyer immediately if you have been accused of any theft offense.
If you have been charged with grand theft or petit theft (also known as "petty theft"), burglary or robbery then you face the possibility of serious penalties. Petty theft is a misdemeanor charged in cases where the item stolen is considered to have a relatively small value (e.g. $100 or less). Higher valued items and cars are usually charged as grand theft or grand larceny and these have felony penalties if a conviction is obtained. Make sure you have a skilled defender on your side working to help you avoid imprisonment, expensive fines, probation, community service and other possible punishment.
Contact my firm, Christopher L. Dunham, P.A. to discuss your charges in a free initial consultation. My team and I are passionate about making sure that our client's rights and freedom are aggressively defended. We may be able to get the charges against you reduced or dismissed altogether!