Dan E. Chambers has a wealth of experience defending against charges for these common criminal offenses
According to the Uniform Crime Reports, the most common felony crimes in the US include drug crimes, property crimes, DUI, and assault. Although the overall crime rate in the LA area has fallen for the 10th straight year as of the end of 2012, there are still numerous cases of these top 4 most common criminal offenses in our area.
Drug Crimes
Drug crimes include the possession, sales, interstate transport, and manufacturing of controlled substances including cocaine, marijuana, heroin, ecstasy, meth, etc., as well as the possession of certain drug paraphernalia or driving while under the influence of drugs. Drug crimes can be a bit complicated in California because of special laws regarding the possession of small amounts of marijuana. While other types of drug crimes have the potential for severe punishment, possessing one ounce or less of marijuana will just get you a slap on the wrist in California. Still, it is worth fighting charges for marijuana possession so you don’t end up with a conviction on your record.
Property Crimes
Property crime is an umbrella term for various crimes involving the destruction or unauthorized taking of property. Arson, auto theft, burglary, larceny, and theft are all examples of property crimes. Of these crimes, theft is the most common. Most property crimes don’t involve bodily harm, though some arson cases may involve injury or even death if the structure set on fire was inhabited or occupied.
DUI
It’s hardly surprising that DUI offenses make the list of the most common criminal offenses in the US. DUI can refer to driving under the influence of drugs or of alcohol, though alcohol-related offenses are much more common. Sometimes police set up sobriety checkpoints to trap drunk drivers and help protect the drivers and other motorists from their impaired judgment and driving abilities. Many otherwise law-abiding people get charged with DUI offenses, and it’s important to know that these charges can be successfully contested in many cases.
Assault
Sadly, there are well over 1 million cases of assault in this country every year. Assault cases involve the willful attempt to inflict harm on another person, and they often also involve charges for battery, which is the actual act of inflicting the harm attempted in the assault. Many cases of assault can be quite sensitive because they involve family members or partners. These cases may be considered domestic violence and will therefore be taken quite seriously by prosecutors in California.
Have You Been Charged? Get Representation
Fortunately, anyone accused of or charged with one of these common crimes can turn to expert criminal defense attorney Dan E. Chambers for help.
