Man arrested in a string of St. Johns County burglaries, police say more charges could be on way

Police arrested a St. Johns County man on several charges following a string of car burglaries and a report from a woman that she woke up to an intoxicated man standing in her doorway. A 22-year-old St. Johns County man was arrested last week, charged with crimes ranging from burglary to a dwelling on down to disorderly intoxication, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Police were investigating one car burglary about 3 a.m., when they saw a light go on in another vehicle in the neighborhood, the newspaper reported. Once an officer moved toward the second vehicle, the man ran away, the newspaper reported. He was caught after a convenience store clerk reported a rowdy customer and told police where he went, the newspaper reported.

The most serious charge so far is burglary to an unoccupied dwelling, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison. The car burglary charges are third-degree felonies with a maximum penalty of five years in state prison. One victim reported that three of her cars were burglarized, and each of those St. Johns County Theft Charges can be filed separately as an individual charge. The charges can add up quickly in a St. Johns County Theft Case like this and police are asking for other potential victims to come forward, which could certainly lead to more charges. Legally, one night of someone running around a neighborhood getting into 10 vehicles could bring charges that could result in 50 years in state prison. Now, a sentence like that is unlikely, but the charges that many associate with teen-agers can have more serious penalties than many people might think.

Car burglaries can even become second-degree felonies if there is a person in the vehicle at the time of the crime – whether the suspect knows it or not when he or she breaks into the vehicle. In many St. Johns County Theft Cases, prosecutors may look at a pretrial diversion program, which could result in the charges being dropped if the defendant meets a variety of conditions. Those offers are typically only on the table for people with little to no criminal record. The defendant in this St. Johns County Theft Case does have a record, but mostly for traffic violations, so some sort of sentence may be offered, though one condition may be some sort of drug or alcohol treatment, given that he was also charged with disorderly intoxication. Our St. Johns County Theft Attorney has represented hundreds of people charged with a range of theft charges, from misdemeanors on up to felony burglary and robbery charges, and will thoroughly investigate the case against you or your loved one.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our St. Johns County Theft Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.