Burglary

San Jose Criminal Defense Attorneys

Burglary • Theft • Embezzlement

Our Lawyers Have Over 100 Years of Combined Experience in the Bay Area

At the law offices of Hinkle, Jachimowicz, Pointer & Emanuel, located in San Jose, California, our goal is to vigorously defend Californians who have been charged or accused of criminal offenses, including theft, embezzlement, or burglary. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation without charge.

Burglary may be defined as the unlawful entry into a home, business, or other structure (such as a church, boathouse, water vessel, trailer, garage, storage facility, or a store) with the intent to commit any crime within that structure. It is not necessary to prove that someone broke and entered to classify a crime as burglary. Trespassing can be sufficient. Often there is no victim in the structure at the time of the burglary, and yet that can still be 1^st degree and carry a severe prison sentence and a strike. Burglary from a store, unoccupied car or a structure other than a house can carry misdemeanor or felony punishments.

In California, a burglary is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail or state prison. A vigorous defense is best accomplished by an experienced criminal defense attorney. Three of the five criminal defense lawyers at our firm were in law enforcement prior to becoming lawyers. We know the criminal justice system from both sides and use that knowledge to the benefit of our clients.

A very common form of burglary often arises in a simple shoplifting case, if store security or the police believe that the customer entered the store with the intent to shoplift. This is usually charged as a felony and carries serious consequences. The intent to steal is often shown by the customer entering the store with pliers, a knife (to cut off tags and security alarms), extra shopping bags, a large and mostly empty purse, or even when a customer discovered shoplifting is shown to have other possibly stolen merchandise in his or her car.

We have handled hundreds of these cases and can often reduce charges to misdemeanors or even infractions if a trial is not desired by our client.

Don't let criminal charges ruin your life. If you have been arrested for burglary, contact our California burglary defense lawyers to schedule a consultation.