As defined by law, robbery in Chantilly is the taking of another person’s property without their permission with the intent to permanently deprive and with the added element of violence, force, or threat. The element of the crime of robbery that differs from other forms of theft is the added aspect of violence, force, or threat.
Due to the severity of a robbery charge, a person should look for a Chantilly robbery lawyer who knows the local judges and prosecutors. An experienced theft attorney should also have a sense for what the jury may do in a case like this and is willing and able to fight on behalf of the accused.
The consequences of robbery in Chantilly, like any other area of Virginia, are at least five years in prison if the person is convicted of robbery. It could be potentially up to life in prison. For a person to be charged with robbery in Chantilly, a prosecutor should prove that there was a taking of something of value with the intent to permanently deprive that person of that item and with the added element of some type of violence or threat of violence.
A person should contact a criminal lawyer as soon as they are able to, especially before their arraignment. If someone has been charged, thinks they are about to get charged or think the police are investigating them, they should call a lawyer. No time is too soon to call an attorney if someone is facing a serious charge like robbery, armed robbery, theft, or any other crime.
When contacting a criminal lawyer about robbery charges, a person should provide:
Any detail that they are able to remember is what they should bring to that meeting. A Chantilly robbery lawyer may ask questions to draw out more information from them.
A person wants to hire an attorney who has experience defending those who have been charged with robbery because a robbery charge is serious and complicated. There are a lot of elements to prove, but it comes down to whether they convince the jury that there is doubt or whether they convince the prosecutor to drop the charge down to something else. A person needs someone who looks at a case, figures out what the flaws are, and uses those flaws to their advantage.
A criminal lawyer might leverage their experience when trying to gain an advantage over the prosecution by bringing to the prosecution’s attention any problems with the case. Whenever there is a weakness in the case, they might be able to use it to convince the prosecutor to drop the charges down to a lower charge or to a charge that would not involve active jail time.