A new law went into affect last year in September 2010, which required a person to have had three or more prior theft convictions before the prosecution can elevate a petty theft crime to a felony, under Penal Code section 666. Prior to this new amendment, a person whom had been convicted of a single theft crime, could be charged with a petty theft second offense as a felony. However, now a person needs to have been convicted of three or more convictions before a new petty theft charge could be elevated to a felony.
This law is applied retroactively, under People v. Vinson, so that even if you only had one or two prior theft related convictions and were charged with a new offense prior to this law taking affect, your attorney can now argue that you did not have the requisite number of prior convictions to warrant a felony petty theft charge.
If you or a loved one have been accused or charged with a theft crime, it is very important that you speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately, like the attorneys at Wallin & Klarich. We have over 30 years of experienced handling this type of matters and can assist you in obtaining the best possible result. Call the law firm of Wallin& Klarich today at, (888) 749-0034 to speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney about your case.
