Howard County Carjacking Lawyer

Carjacking is the unauthorized possession or control of a motor vehicle from an individual who is in possession of the motor vehicle by force, violence, or threat of force or violence. The charges can be confusing to handle, so having the guidance from an experienced defense lawyer will help. If charged with carjacking, please contact a Howard County carjacking lawyer today.

A Howard County carjacking attorney will serve as your advocate and spokesperson. They help to whatever they can to get the best result possible and they will offer support in every aspect of the case to protect an individual from being interrogated and bothered by law enforcement.

Consequences of Carjacking

If convicted of carjacking, the penalty carries up to 30 years’ imprisonment. There is no misdemeanor carjacking, it is only seen as a felony in Howard County. If someone has a criminal history and is charged with carjacking, the penalties will be more lenient. However, if this is someone’s first offense, they might receive probation, but the penalties will change based on the severity of the charge.

When someone has committed a carjacking, there is most likely going to be an assault. It could be robbery charges, theft—all those go into play. They will most likely all be charged in addition to the carjacking itself.

Carjacking vs. Auto Theft

Auto theft is just the taking of a car, while carjacking is the taking the car while someone is in possession of it. Additionally, with carjacking, the alleged victim was in control or using it at the time.

There is another charge, joyriding that can be associated with. Joyriding itself is not a charge, but it is just a term that people use for the purpose for which they have been carjacking. That is the purpose or the rationale behind why they committed the crime, but it is not a crime in and of itself.

Common Carjacking Defenses

There are a few different varieties, sometimes it is identification. Determining if the alleged victim can prove and identify the defendant as the individual that did the act is a common strategy. If they stopped to fill the gas and the person jumps in the car and drives off, that is not carjacking due to no force or threat of force even though the person was standing right there. Sometimes, one has got to track the elements, check the witnesses, or any number of strategies along those lines.

A Howard County carjacking lawyer can advocate for an individual and try to find creative ways of resolving the case or avoid incarceration. An attorney will try to minimize exposure to incarceration by proposing different alternatives, whether it is probation, community service, counseling, treatment, or whatever it may be.

Necessary Evidence

For the prosecution, they need evidence that proves a person took a vehicle that was in control of another by force or threat of force. A Howard County carjacking attorney will want the same evidence as well to build a case to defend their client.

Experts, typically, are not used for a carjacking case. However, there are situations where a person may try to take on a non-criminally responsible plea or try to argue that something was wrong with them, they were mentally defective, or they were on some medications. They would need an expert to come and testify to that.

Working with a Howard County Carjacking Attorney

Once having contacted a Howard County carjacking lawyer, the defendant will discuss the nature of what happened, the seriousness of it, what defenses there are, and what will happen procedurally that leads to trial. Additionally, by helping the person procure the release pending the case, by getting any type of treatment, help, or anything meanwhile that can address certain issues that gave rise to the charge.

The significant potential for incarceration is not just a couple of years, but it is many years’ incarceration that a person would be facing. A Howard County carjacking attorney can be the spokesperson and advocate for that individual to try and look for reduced sentences or to challenge the charge altogether.

The charges for carjacking can be very serious and lead to long term prison time. An experienced Howard County lawyer will be able to analyze and craft a case for their client.