Theft in the state of Florida is charged at varying degrees depending on the amount stolen. Recently, there have been several people charged with theft around the South Florida are for stealing Air Conditioning units which usually results in a
grand theft charge because of the cumulative dollar amount of items stolen.
Grand Theft in Fort Pierce
A 42-year-old Fort Pierce man is being charged with
grand theft for stealing equipment from
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crews Thursday. Richard Halsey Gosman was held late Thursday at
Palm Beach County Jail on $31,500 bail. His
arrest was considered to be on suspicion of burglary and
grand theft, according to WPTV News.
Gosman was caught because a Fire Rescue Station in Lake Worth reported a
burglary of a fireman’s SUV early Thursday. The firefighter said sometime during the day, someone had smashed the front passenger window of his vehicle and stole two GPS devices, a laptop and a camera, according to WPTV News.
Fire Rescue and Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies responded to the call of a vehicle crash a few hours later and noticed items in the crashed vehicle that matched the description the firefighters gave.
Gosman was immediately
arrested.
Grand Theft Charges in Florida
Theft is charged at varying degrees. The degree of the severity of the charge is solely based upon the dollar value of the item(s) stolen and if they amount to more than $300.
Grand theft is a third degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and lofty fines.
Grand Theft Criminal Defense
Being
convicted of a
felony grand theft charge is extremely serious and will hold you back for the rest of your life. The first person you should call after being
arrested and accused of
grand theft is a
criminal defense lawyer. Only a
criminal defense lawyer will be able to negotiate with the prosecuting attorneys to have your sentence lowered to probation or work camps rather than prison.