Property crimes are just what they sound like—crimes against someone else’s property. In fact, property crimes are the most common crimes in Arizona. This category includes acts like theft, robbery, burglary, vandalism, trespassing, and more. And depending on the circumstances, property crimes can be charged...
The word misdemeanor, if taken down to it’s roots of “mis” and “demeanor”, essentially translates to “wrong conduct or behavior”. So even by just looking at the origin of the word it is evident that while a misdemeanor isn’t tolerated behavior, it is clearly not...
In this post, Coolidge Law Firm (serving the greater Phoenix-Metro area), would like to define larceny under Arizona Law. First, larceny is simply the legal term for theft. Second, as with many crimes, larceny can be charged either as a misdemeanor or a felony under...
Prescription drug abuse and overdose continue to be a growing epidemic in the United States. In fact, a recent CBS News article reports that, “For the first time on record, Americans are more likely to die of an accidental opioid overdose than in a motor...
Any time spent locked up is going to be unpleasant. That’s why it’s important to hire the right criminal defense attorney from the start. At Coolidge Law Firm, we’ve been extremely successful in pre-file representation. This type of representation is conducted before charges are ever...
Many crimes are crimes of opportunity and environment. If one of these two things--or both-- make a crime more likely or appealing, then it’s reasonable to assume that crime numbers will increase. For instance, we wrote a blog about how crimes like burglary and theft...
A person who recklessly or intentionally damages another person's property may face charges of criminal damage in Arizona. In some cases, property damage can carry serious penalties, including fines and jail time. What is criminal damage? Let’s take a look at an example. Late one night,...
Every crime in Arizona has a penalty, and usually, the penalties are very specific. For example, the penalty for first degree murder is either life in prison or capital punishment. However, there are some crimes where the penalty may change, increase, or decrease, depending on...
With two major airports in the area—Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport—planes in the skies above Phoenix and Chandler are a regular sight. Although airplanes normally fly a great distance above you, their pilots can be affected by certain things on the...
It usually shocks people involved in Phoenix road rage incidents when they get arrested and face criminal charges. “Is road rage illegal?” they’ll ask. In Arizona, there is no specific charge for road rage. However, a driver’s actions during a road rage incident—such as reckless...