You can be charged with a crime if you possess tools with the intent to commit a burglary. Theft tools, also called “burglary tools,” are used to gain illegal entry into a residence, car, building, or other space.
Burglary tools can include regular tools, like a screwdriver, crowbar, or a pair of pliers. They also include the porcelain or ceramic from a spark plug, a master key, picklock, or a “slim jim.” Any device you possess that you intend to use for “breaking and entering” is illegal.
It is also illegal to make or alter, or intend to make or alter, a tool with the intent to commit burglary.
Intent is the key to the prosecutor’s case. You need an experienced attorney on your side to fight the charges against you. When confronted with charges of unlawful possession of burglary tools, theft crime attorney David Knoll defends your case with the full intention of winning it for you.
Charges and Penalties for Unlawful Possession of Burglary Tools
Unlawful possession of burglary tools is a misdemeanor with the following potential penalties:
- You could receive up to three years of probation;
- You could receive up to six months in a county jail;
- You may have to pay a fine up to the maximum amount of $1,000.
If you actually committed a burglary using theft tools, the judge will “stay” the sentence, and sentence you only for the crime of burglary.
Defenses for Unlawful Possession of Theft Tools
Burglary attorney David Knoll helps prove your innocence by showing:
- You didn’t intend to use the theft tools for burglary;
- The specific tools you were charged with possessing were not the kind identified under the law as burglary tools;
- You don’t own other items that could be used in a burglary (like the layout plans of a structure, a ski mask, etc.);
- The search and seizure of the theft tools by the police was illegal (e.g., no warrant, exceeding the scope of the warrant, illegally stopping you), even if you did possess them;
- You have no record of ever having committed a crime.
When you retain burglary defense attorney David Knoll, he and his staff give your theft tool case the personal attention it needs. You don’t have to do it alone!
Help with Tool Theft Charges