Georgia Larceny
As children, we’re told by adults, family members and teachers that it is wrong to take something that doesn’t belong to us. The punishments for breaking this rule can go from time outs to being grounded for a couple weeks. However, as adults the State of Georgia takes stealing very seriously and if you have been charged with larceny, you need an experienced Georgia larceny lawyer to defend you.
Larceny does not only consist of taking something that doesn’t belong to us – it also involves the transportation of it. Whether a person steals money without the intent to give it back or takes property to sell and make money off of, larceny can cover many types of situations.
To be considered larceny, a person must be imposing on another person’s property, self or rights. Therefore, larceny always involves a form of criminal trespassing because the person is not supposed to be where he or she is. Another important aspect to larceny is that the person has knowledge that the property belonged to another person.
For example, your friends have asked you to house sit for them while they are on vacation. Part of the deal is that you are allowed to enter their home and make yourself feel at home. This means you are using their things. One day, you decide to borrow your friend’s golf club. However, you weren’t aware that it wasn’t your friend’s golf club, but a friend of his. When his friend stops by to pick it up, he is angry to find that you’ve left it at your house and is calling you a thief. Since you were unaware that this wasn’t your friend’s golf club, you cannot be charged with larceny.
As mentioned earlier, larceny refers to the transportation of another person’s property. If you stole a watch from your friend’s house and brought it to your house, it is larceny because you illegally moved the watch from your friend’s home without permission of the owner.
Depending on the facts of your larceny case, you could be charged with petite or grand larceny or larceny by deception. In any event, it is important to contact a lawyer who specializes in this complex area of law.
