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Speak Up! - View Question #265 |
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Question: What are the punishments for possession of stolen property, like a street from a park?
Answer: The punishment for knowingly possessing stolen property depends upon the value of the property or whether it is a car, credit card or firearm. Many Arizona laws (ARS §§ 13-1802, 13-1814 and 13-2102) cover possession of stolen property. If the property is a car, the crime is a class 3 felony punishable by prison for up to 8.75 years. If the stolen item is a credit card, the crime is a class 5 felony punishable by prison for up to 2.5 years. If the item is a firearm, it is a class 6 felony punishable by prison for up to 2 years.
The punishment for knowingly possessing stolen property (also known as theft) of any other item depends on the item's value. For a person with no prior felony convictions, he could be placed on probation or go to prison.
-If the stolen item is worth less than $250, the crime is a class 1 misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of 6 months jail.
-If the item is worth between $250 and $1000, the crime is a class 6 felony and the maximum punishment is 2 years in prison.
-If the item is worth over $1000 but less than $2000, the crime is a class 5 felony and the maximum punishment is 2.5 years prison.
-If the item is worth over $2000 but less than $3000, the crime is a class 4 felony, punishable by up to 3.75 years prison.
-if the stolen property is worth more than $3000 but less than $25,000, then the crime is a class 3 felony and the defendant could receive up to 8.75 years in prison.
-if the stolen property is worth over $25,000, the crime is a class 2 felony and the maximum sentence is 12.5 years in prison.
Arizona state law makes it a civil violation to attempt to or in fact 'alter, deface, injure, knock down or remove' a street sign (ARS § 28-649) State law also gives cities the power to regulate street signs.(ARS § 28-672). For instance, the City of Mesa, Arizona has its own law, identical to the state law, prohibiting the removal of a street sign (Mesa City Code § 10-3-13(J)). Additionally, in some cities, like Glendale, Arizona, it can be either a criminal misdemeanor or a civil offense to damage, tamper, disfigure or remove a park sign (Glendale City Code § 27-44). Usually, for civil offenses, the person will have to pay a fine determined by the judge. For criminal offenses, the person who violates the law faces jail time as well as a fine.
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