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Anne Arundel County Theft Lawyer

In Anne Arundel County, theft charges can carry significant consequences. Theft is often treated as a more serious crime than might be expected, and the charges alone may cause some collateral damage to things such as the defendant’s reputation and their employment prospects. Theft usually involves taking something from another—whether it is a person, a store, a corporation, or whatever the case may be—without their permission and with the intent to somehow deprive the owner of that possession. If accused, it is important to consult with an Anne Arundel theft lawyer to ensure that your rights are protected and that the strongest defense possible is being put forth. To learn more or discuss your case, call and schedule a consultation with a defense attorney in Anne Arundel today.

Discussing Theft Charges With a Lawyer

In order to build the strongest defense for those accused of theft, a lawyer will usually want to know their version of the events of what happened.

Most attorneys who are familiar with a particular area of practice are going to know what the likely outcomes are based on the defendants criminal history and the evidence that can be gathered against them. An Anne Arundel County theft attorney will be able to tell them what defenses are available and also, if the defenses do not look strong, what the likely outcomes of sentencing might be.

The individual and their attorney can base their decision on what defenses are available, what options are available, and what is the most likely outcome for these types of cases.

Benefits of an Anne Arundel County Theft Lawyer

One should absolutely consult with an Anne Arundel County theft lawyer when facing these charges. Some of these kinds of charges, while they may seem minor, can constitute a felony that carries incarceration. What is more, theft charges are considered crimes of moral turpitude.

Even if the crime involves something as small as stealing a pack of gum or stealing a sweater from a store, these kinds of minor instances are considered crimes of moral turpitude, which means that they call into question the trustworthiness or moral character of the person who commits them.

These kinds of charges can have an impact on somebody’s ability to get employment, secure a loan, on immigration, getting a passport, and on all kinds of collateral issues that might not have been expected based on how minor the offenses were. A person charged with these types of crimes needs a criminal attorney who understands that these kinds of crimes are extremely important, and who will make sure that they are adequately represented to protect themselves from those collateral consequences as well.

Potential Defense Strategies 

Some important things that a lawyer for the defense will start with include determining whether a person has been properly charged or not. For example, in a charging document, which is the document that alleges that an offense occurred, sometimes the police officers or prosecutors can allege certain things by giving you the current name or an entity. Those kinds of things are important because they can have a charge completely thrown out on issues of double jeopardy or a particular procedure that is outlined by the Maryland rules of how to prosecute a case or how to put a defense on the merits of the charge that is alleged.

Additionally, a defense attorney will want to go to the evidence in a particular case to see whether the prosecution has strong evidence or not. Sometimes, prosecutors try and introduce surveillance video of a particular incident or event but cannot properly authenticate the video or have not made it admissible in a courtroom.

A defense attorney that understands admissibility, evidentiary argument, and specific ability is also going to be extremely beneficial to the defendant when developing a strategy on how to defend any particular case.

These are just a couple of ways that a defense attorney might start preparing for a particular step. Depending on the case, the preparation and strategy for preparation will be very different.

An Attorney’s Role in the Process

Someone’s theft lawyer in Anne Arundel County will be able to assist you in trying to make sure that the prosecution is meeting its burden. Even before that, they will ask if the prosecution has complied with rules of discovery and have presented you with evidence material to the case. An experienced defense attorney will have an investigator available to go out to discuss with witnesses the allegations that have been brought to determine whether or not the prosecutors have a case that is viable or one that may actually proceed.

Additionally, in terms of preparation for court, the defense attorney will be instrumental in making sure the prosecution actually has the ability to submit certain pieces of evidence into the courtroom against you to try and prove their case.
A defense attorney who is seasoned in this area would be extremely beneficial and important in making sure that the prosecutors have followed all of the requirements of proving a particular case.

Possible Consequences of Theft Charges

Theft charges carry a possibility of jail time; possibility of probation; and consequences on probation; like community service, paying a penalty or fine of some kind, and restitution, which means paying back another party for what they suffered in terms of damages that were directly a result of the theft.

These damages are usually not punitive; they are usually damages to the property, like it was destroyed, it no longer exists, it cannot be retrieved, or it is been devalued in some way based on the events.

Anne Arundel County Theft Lawyer
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