Criminal Mischief

Anyone facing a criminal mischief charge in New Hampshire needs to have an experienced criminal defense attorney on their side.

That’s because this can be a fairly serious charge, depending on the circumstances.

You’ll want to call Nashua lawyer Michael Anzalone to represent you as your criminal mischief case head through the judicial system.

Generally speaking, criminal mischief is the act of either purposefully or recklessly damaging someone else’s property. According to the state of New Hampshire’s Criminal Code, in RSA 534:2, criminal mischief is a Class B felony if you cause:

1. Pecuniary loss in excess of $1,500; or
2. A substantial interruption or impairment of public communication, transportation, supply of water, gas, or power, or other public service; or
3. Discharge of a firearm at an occupied structure, as defined in RSA 635:1, III; or
4. Damage to private or public property, real or personal, when the actor knows that the property has historical, cultural, or sentimental value that cannot be restored by repair or replacement.

However, in many cases it is not quite as serious. For example, if you cause between $100 and $1,500 in damages to someone’s property, you’ll likely be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. Anything else becomes a simple misdemeanor.

Even if you are only charged with a misdemeanor, you’ll need to have a criminal defense attorney working for you. These are still serious charges that you certainly don’t want on your permanent record. It can destroy your reputation and cause a great deal of stress and unnecessary issues related you your job or future jobs.

Your lawyer will tell you that the best advice is to stay out of trouble. But if you’ve already been charged with criminal mischief, you need to have an attorney help you fight through this legal entanglement.

There are many complexities to this charge and you may be affected in any number of ways, depending on the circumstances of this case.

For example, if the court determines that a motor vehicle was used to “abet the commission of the act constituting criminal mischief, the court may suspend, for a period not to exceed 90 days” your driver’s license.

And, in a criminal mischief case, you’ll likely be liable for full restitution to “the injured party.”

So, while this probably won’t result in jail time for you, you will take a hit on your record and you will more than likely have to pay damages to the person who owns the property that was damaged.

If you are arrested on charges of criminal mischief, the best and most important thing for you to do, is to immediately call The Law Offices of Michael Anzalone in Nashua, New Hampshire, to set up a free consultation about the case.

Michael Anzalone will then advise you on how he thinks you should proceed with this case. And, no matter what, he would not want you to talk with police or law enforcement investigators until your attorney is by your side.

This is because they can use anything you say against you in court.