Photo Of Kyle B. Sawyer
Photo Of Kyle B. Sawyer

Charged With A Crime? It Doesn’t Mean You’re Guilty.

Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft of a Car, Truck or Motorcycle in Arapahoe County, Colorado

On Behalf of | Jun 2, 2017 | Theft |

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Is Joy Riding in a Car Always Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft in Colorado?

I often see people over charged or charged with crimes that don’t fit the conduct. Some district attorneys are smart enough to recognize this and do the right thing. But, in other cases, they don’t care about what is right and push for a conviction unrelated to what my client really did. That is where we come in as defense attorneys. With the crime of Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft, you can get hit much harder than you should be hit, for a small act of forgetfulness or for joyriding. Committing another crime using a stolen car is a felony.

Joy Riding and Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft in Jefferson County, Colorado – What is the Real Difference?

Joyriding is when a young person sees a crime of opportunity and takes an already running car for a drive with friends. It is an impulsive crime, but not one where a teenager is trying to make a killing by altering the serial / VIN number on a car and reselling it in Mexico. Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft, on the other hand, should be reserved for the professional who steals a car for profit. They make it their living to chop up cars or redo them so they can be resold.

Adams County, Colorado Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft Confused with JoyRiding

Here is where the problem arises. A teenager sees a car warming in the driveway and the keys are in the ignition. He thinks it would be cool to take the car and go pickup his friends. He never plans on keeping the car – that would be unfair to the owner and stupid. Yet the moment he takes / steals the car, a timer starts. Once that timer hits twenty-four hours, he is a felon. Before that? Not a felon.

Another Twist on Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft in Douglas County – Bad Drivers Beware

There are many ways to commit Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft. Read the definition of Motorvehicle Theft here. Imagine the teen who takes the car, plans on returning it within two hours, yet has a fender bender along the way with a parked car. Did you know that he also is now a felon because he causes five hundred dollars or more of property damage while in the exercise of control over the car?

If you or your child are contacted by police, remain silent. Officers are not just curious about what happened. They want to convict you. Contact our affordable criminal defense lawyers at 303-731-0719. Together, we can protect your future.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net – Toa55