In Georgia, you can face serious consequences for burglary or even attempted burglary. If you are up against charges like this, it can feel like everyone is out to get you, and certainly like the police and prosecutor don’t care about your side of the story. During times like these, you need someone on your side with your best interests in mind.
Having a defense lawyer on your side when you are accused of something like burglary means you have someone working to ensure your constitutional rights are protected and helping you to get the best results possible on your case.
Whether you admit to burglarizing a home, or if you were simply along for the ride and claim you are innocent, we may be able to help.
Georgia Burglary Laws and Penalties
In most states, burglary laws are categorized by the type of property that was burglarized. In Georgia, however, you face a serious penalty no matter what type of property it was. You can face the same charge for burglarizing a home as you can for burglarizing a warehouse, for instance.
Burglary is defined as entering or remaining in any dwelling, building, vehicle, or structure without permission with the intent to commit a felony within.
If this is your first conviction for burglary, you will face 1 to 20 years in prison. However, if you have prior convictions, the penalties will be more severe.
A second burglary conviction carries 2 to 20 years, and a third carries 5 to 20 years. This means the judge can not sentence you to less than the minimum in the range. In other words, you will be sentenced to some prison time if convicted.
Defense Strategies
By working with a local defense lawyer you can learn more about how the details of your case determine the best defense strategy. When a conviction seems probable, your defense lawyer can help you possibly negotiate a favorable plea agreement with the prosecution. But, if you are innocent, they can work to fight the charges in court.
Evidence plays a huge role in the chances that you will be convicted or even whether or not the prosecution will be willing to negotiate with you. But, if we can show that the evidence was seized in violation of your constitutional rights, we may be able to get it ruled inadmissible, seriously impacting your case for the better.
The facts of each case are different, and therefore no two defense strategies are exactly alike. If you are facing charges of robbery, contact our offices today to discuss your case and how we might be able to help.