{"id":1228,"date":"2019-04-05T15:04:54","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T15:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2019-04-05T15:04:54","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T15:04:54","slug":"can-i-go-to-jail-for-keying-a-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/can-i-go-to-jail-for-keying-a-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Go to Jail for Keying a Car?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Property vandalism is a crime, and cars are property. What\ndoes this mean for someone who got revenge by taking a key to their ex-friend\u2019s\nride? It means legal consequences, and even possible jail time. Continue\nreading to learn how both state and federal law governs and penalizes car\nvandalism, as well as, what you need to do if you are suspected of a similar\ncrime in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Vandalism-Lawyer-Indianapolis-Indiana-e1554476618188-1024x571.jpg\" alt=\"Indianapolis Vandalism Lawyer 317-636-7514\" class=\"wp-image-1229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Vandalism-Lawyer-Indianapolis-Indiana-e1554476618188-1024x571.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Vandalism-Lawyer-Indianapolis-Indiana-e1554476618188-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Vandalism-Lawyer-Indianapolis-Indiana-e1554476618188-768x428.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Vandalism-Lawyer-Indianapolis-Indiana-e1554476618188.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Indianapolis Vandalism Lawyer 317-636-7514<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keying a Car<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether your boyfriend was caught having dinner with another woman, or you had a revenge plan against a pal who betrayed you, keying their car is not the right way to get back at them for their moral crimes. Why? Well, you could face some pretty strict consequences if you are caught and prosecuted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make matters more risky, even if your friend does not wish to press charges against you, the state still might. Vandalism comes in many forms, but regardless, all forms are illegal, and categorized under \u201cCriminal Mischief\u201d under Indiana Code. The offense is also referred to as \u201ccriminal damage\u201d, \u201cmalicious trespass\u201d, or \u201cmalicious mischief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Below, you will find the standard levels of offenses and\ntheir subsequent penalties for vandalism in Indiana.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>\u2696 Criminal Mischief (Vandalism) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/in\/title-35-criminal-law-and-procedure\/in-code-sect-35-43-1-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Indiana Code \u00a7 35-43-1-2 (opens in a new tab)\">Indiana Code \u00a7 35-43-1-2<\/a>: \u201cA person who recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally damages or defaces property of another person without the other person&#8217;s consent commits criminal mischief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Less Than $750 in Total Damages<\/strong> = Class B Misdemeanor &#8211; Up to 180 days in jail &#8211; Up to a $1,000 fine;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>$750 &#8211; $50,000<\/strong> = Class A Misdemeanor &#8211; Up to 1 year in jail &#8211; Up to a $5,000 fine;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More Than $50,000<\/strong> = Level 6 Felony \u2013 Between 6 months and 2.5 years in jail &#8211; Up to a $10,000 fine;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also a Level 6 Felony<\/strong> if damage causes substantial impairment of service to the public, done to a public record, or to a law enforcement animal (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"35-46-3-4.5 (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/in\/title-35-criminal-law-and-procedure\/in-code-sect-35-46-3-4-5.html\" target=\"_blank\">35-46-3-4.5<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Facing Vandalism Charges in Indianapolis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you vandalized property, whether a car or something else,\nthe state has two years to file charges against you. Furthermore, you can also\nface a civil lawsuit brought on by the victim of the vandalism in order for\nthem to recover additional compensation for their property damages. If you were\ncaught, or have been suspected of, vandalism within the past two years, it\nwould be wise to hire a seasoned criminal defense attorney as soon as possible to\navoid the maximum penalties for your vandalism charges in Indianapolis, Indiana.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contact the Law Office of David E. Lewis at 317-636-7514<\/strong> to schedule a free initial consultation and case evaluation. During this meeting, which is free of charge, you have the opportunity to sit down with a skilled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Indianapolis criminal defense lawyer (opens in a new tab)\">Indianapolis criminal defense lawyer<\/a> and discuss your Indiana criminal charges and the best strategies for your defense, whether on a state or federal level. Get started as soon as today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Criminal-Defense-Lawyer-Indianapolis-IN-1024x507.jpg\" alt=\"Criminal Defense Lawyer Indianapolis IN\" class=\"wp-image-16\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Criminal-Defense-Lawyer-Indianapolis-IN-1024x507.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Criminal-Defense-Lawyer-Indianapolis-IN-300x148.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Criminal-Defense-Lawyer-Indianapolis-IN-768x380.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Criminal Defense Lawyer 317-636-7514<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Property vandalism is a crime, and cars are property. What does this mean for someone who got revenge by taking a key to their ex-friend\u2019s ride? It means legal consequences, and even possible jail time. Continue reading to learn how &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/can-i-go-to-jail-for-keying-a-car\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[707,154,64,708,713,709],"class_list":["post-1228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-law","tag-can-i-get-in-trouble-for-keying-a-car","tag-criminal-mischief-indiana","tag-indianapolis-criminal-defense-lawyer","tag-keying-a-car-laws","tag-vandalism-charges-indiana","tag-vandalism-law-indiana"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1228"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1231,"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions\/1231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.delewislaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}