Santa Clarita Petty Theft Defense Attorney

A common question at the Santa Clarita Criminal Court relates to whether or not representation is important in petty theft cases. While the court penalties may not seem that significant, typically fines, summary probation, sometimes community service, the long-term consequences are substantial.

The most important consideration with any petty theft case is that the accused person have legal representation. Because of the specific requirements which must be shown to prove a theft violation, a Santa Clarita theft defense attorney is in the best position to evaluate this allegation. You should never represent yourself in any type of theft case.

Certain defenses related to "intent" include a common scenario: a person walks out of a store, distracted (perhaps by a cell phone call), and forgets that he or she was still holding merchandise. The lacking legal requisites of this type of theft accusation are important; this case appears to lack "specific intent" required for a person to be convicted of a crime. An effective theft attorney will request video evidence from the store, determine if other witnesses can provide corroborating information, and develop a vigorous defense for this client. In some cases,  the District Attorney will reevaluate a case when  presented with this kind of contradictory evidence.

Another important issue related to theft case convictions is direct consequences, that is, consequences that courts deem to be significant, which flow from theft convictions. These consequences include: possible exclusion, deportation, or denial of naturalization for non-citizens; loss of certain government licensing and accreditation; sentence and judgment from court, i.e., probation, fines, etc.

As you can see, it is extremely important to have representation in any theft case.