Types of Theft Charges

A simple assault can also rise to the level of an aggravated assault charge depending on the identity of the victim. Some states will prosecute any type of assault on an on-duty police officer or firefighter as an aggravated assault. Some states will even elevate the assault charges when the victim is pregnant.

Theft penalties and sentencing can have a significant impact on your life even for apparently minor crimes. Depending on your criminal history and your jurisdiction, even the theft of a candy bar could have a disproportionate impact on your future.

Battery is a criminal offense involving the unlawful physical acting upon a threat, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law misdemeanor, although the term is used more generally to refer to any unlawful offensive physical contact with another person, and may be a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances.

Civil false imprisonment. If you commit an act of false imprisonment you can both be charged with a crime and be sued by the victim in civil court. A civil lawsuit is very different than a criminal charge. When a crime occurs, it is up to a prosecutor to charge the suspect in a criminal court.

Theft penalties and sentencing can have a significant impact on your life even for apparently minor crimes. Depending on your criminal history and your jurisdiction, even the theft of a candy bar could have a disproportionate impact on your future.

Kidnapping is a very serious charge that brings significant penalties. All states categorize kidnapping as a felony offense, though states have different degrees of felonies that have different sentences associated with them.

While state laws vary, the punishment for theft and larceny is usually based on the value of the goods taken, with lower value property, such as that which is under $500, considered as "petty" theft, and higher value items in excess of that amount considered as grand theft or grand larceny.

Vehicle theft is a serious crime with serious penalties, and depending on the intent laws in the state where a defendant is charged and the circumstances of the theft, it can be either a felony or a misdemeanor. Possible sentences for vehicle theft will also be affected by a defendant's criminal history.

Although burglary, robbery, and theft are often used interchangeably, there are distinct differences between the three. What the three have in common, of course, is that they all may involve the unauthorized taking of someone’s personal property by another person...