Prince William Criminal Lawyer

If you have been charged with a criminal misdemeanor or a felony. Don’t worry, as a Prince William criminal lawyer, I can fight your case in court and defend your legal rights.

read below details about penalties of criminal misdemeanors and felonies

Penalties For Theft, Shoplifting, Grand, and Petit Larceny:

In Virginia, some theft and most shoplifting are considered Petit Larceny.  Petit Larceny is a Class 1 Misdemeanor. 

Being convicted of a Class 1 Misdemeanor is serious and can result in up to a year of detention, a fine of $2,500, or both. 

If you are facing a Petit Larceny charge, consult a skilled Virginia larceny lawyer.

Theft of goods costing more than $1,000 is Grand Larceny. 

Being convicted of a Grand Larceny charge can result in a sentence of 1 to 20 years in state prison. 

Grand Larceny convictions can also be punishable with a $2,500 fine paired with a jail sentence of up to a year. 

If you are facing a Grand Larceny charge, get a skilled Virginia Larceny Attorney.

What Are The Penalties For Traffic Criminal Offenses DWI, Reckless Driving

Penalties for offenses such as driving while intoxicated and reckless driving can be harsh in Virginia.  

In Virginia, driving while under the effect of drugs such as alcohol, PCP, cocaine, or any other drug that impairs safe driving is referred to as driving while intoxicated (DWI). 

Other states call this same crime driving under the influence (DUI).  They are the same thing.

The amount of a drug in the driver’s system needed to be considered a DWI varies depending on the drug. 
Our experienced Prince William criminal lawyer explains: As shown in the tables below, Virginia distinguishes between crimes based on their severity.

The worst crimes are felonies, and they come with the harshest punishments and fines.

Less severe, but still serious, are misdemeanors.

All of these crimes carry fines and the most serious carry extended jail time.

If you are facing any of the criminal charges featured in the tables below, get an experienced Prince William County criminal lawyer at American Lawyers Group.

Misdemeanor Class	Fines	Jail Time
Class 1	Up to $2,500	Up to 1 year
Class 2	Up to $1,000	Up to 6 months
Class 3	Up to $500	–
Class 4	Up to $250	–

For alcohol, a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 will constitute a DWI and will suspend the driver’s license for at least 7 days. 

A first offense DWI is a class 1 misdemeanor that carries a mandatory $250 minimum fine (Virginia law section 18.2-266). 

A second DWI within 10 years of the first DWI will result in a minimum $500 fine and 1 to 12 months in jail. 

If the second DWI occurred with a BAC of more than .20 will add an additional $500 fine.  The third DWI conviction in a period of 10 years is a class 6 felony. 

This third DWI comes with a $1,000 fine. 

If the three convictions were in the span of 5 years, a 6-month mandatory jail sentence is issued.

Other factors such as the presence of minors in the vehicle and refusal to take a breathalyzer to add additional fines and punishments. 

For example, refusal to reasonably take a breathalyzer test results in a license being suspended for 1 year. 

Unreasonable refusal to take a breathalyzer test for the second time in 10 years can get a license suspended for 3 years. It is essential to hire an experienced Prince William Criminal Lawyer to fight your case in court.

Are Drug Charges Considered Misdemeanors or Felonies? What are the Penalties?

The severity of the charges for drug possession depends on the quantity of the drugs possessed and what the drug was.

For example, marijuana possession up to 1 oz will carry no jail time and only a $25 fine. 

However, selling more than 1 oz but less than 5 lb of marijuana is a class 5 felony.  More than 5 pounds of marijuana is a felony punishable with 5 to 30 years of jail time.

Other drugs classified as Schedule I or II carry far more severe penalties. 

Schedule I drugs are highly addictive and serve no medical purposes. 

These drugs include heroin and LSD.   Schedule II drugs are addictive but have an accepted medical purpose somewhere in the United States. 

Schedule II includes cocaine, PCP, and more.  Possession of Schedule I or II drugs is a class 5 felony. 

Possession with intent to sell one of these drugs is a felony with a 5 to 40-year conviction and a fine up to $500,000.

Drug convictions in Virginia are serious charges and should be treated as such. 

If you find yourself being charged with drug possession, get an experienced Prince William defense attorney at American Lawyers Group

Conviction Penalties for Assault and Battery Charges

A basic assault and battery conviction is a class 1 misdemeanor.  The maximum penalty for basic assault and battery is 1 year in prison and a $2,500 fine. 

Penalties for assault and battery change based on the intent of the accused as well as who the victim is. 

Felony Class	Fines	Jail Time
Class 4	Up to $100,000	2 to 10 years
Class 5	Up to $2,500	1 to 10 years, or up to 1 year with fine
Class 6	Up to $2,500	1 to 5 years, or up to 1 year with fine

For example, assault and battery against law enforcement while they are working as law enforcement is a class 6 felony, which comes with a combination of large fines and jail time.

You must hire an experienced Prince William criminal lawyer to help you fight your case in Virginia courts.

Why You Should Hire an Experienced Prince William Criminal Defense Attorney?

Criminal charges can ruin your life.  With fines, jail time, suspension of rights, and more, the penalties are crushing and life-shattering. 

An experienced Prince William County criminal defense attorney can work with you to fight charges and mitigate penalties. 

Get an experienced Prince William County criminal defense attorney from American Lawyers Group to start building your defense today.