Robbery Crimes in Atlanta & Georgia

Robbery is a form of theft where a person takes property from another by use of force or intimidation. If a person puts another person at risk of bodily injury and they take their merchandise, that is going to be considered robbery, and it will be punishable up to 20 years in prison. Due to the severity of this offense and the potential penalties involved it is imperative those accused consult with a Georgia robbery lawyer as soon as possible. An experienced theft attorney can help to build a strong defense and mitigate the damage of the potential penalties as much as possible.

In considering different types of theft charges, robbery is a unique offense, because for a charge to be considered robbery there has to be the additional element of force or intimidation of force involved. Theft and robbery are essentially the same crime but there is the enhanced element of the use of force or the intimidation factor of force to make it a more serious offense.

This element of force means robbery will be charged as a felony and is punishable by less than one and not more than 20 years imprisonment, making it imperative that a robbery lawyer in Georgia is contacted right away.

When gathering evidence, an attorney will contact witnesses, as they may be helpful. Robbery generally is a case where there is one person who comes in and can identify the person that stole their items. Often there is a lot of misidentification in a robbery case when using eyewitness testimony. There is not often a case where there are forensic witnesses, forensic evidence, or some sort of DNA and fingerprints.

A Georgia robbery lawyer can perform interviews with witnesses, complete discovery, and gather as much information as possible. A lawyer begins with interviewing witnesses, and perhaps there is a videotape of this. Generally, with robbery offenses, there are co-defendants in the case but some may be more culpable than the others.

Depending upon the evidence, when the jail time has been limited to such a degree that the person thinks that it’s a reasonable opportunity, and if that person believes there is a strong likelihood that they would be convicted at a trial, they should take a plea deal. It is often better to take a plea than it is to take a case to trial and get settled with a tremendous amount of jail time.

Any person facing charges should look for an experienced robbery attorney who has represented other robbery cases before. Anytime a person is facing up to 20 years in prison, they would be foolish to try and represent themselves. When contacting a criminal lawyer about robbery charges, a person should know what experience they have with that particular court. An experienced Georgia robbery attorney has worked with many cases and will best be able to help you build your defense.