5 Common Types of Crimes in Colorado

You might have heard that prosecutors are the ones who decide which criminal charges to file against the people who commit crimes. Those charges depend on what happened and which evidence police officers will gather to back them up.

The Colorado Division of Criminal Justice tracks criminal charges filed in the state. They track those statistics according to categories. So, if you are charged with the following crimes, enlist the services of a Peakstone Law Group, LLC: criminal lawyer to help you.

  1. Robbery

This is a type of theft where offenders use threats of force or force to steal something valuable, such as money or property. Robbery can escalate to aggravated robbery when a person causes serious injuries to a victim or uses deadly weapons to commit the crime.

Robbery is among Colorado’s most common and committed criminal crimes. Usually, defendants face felony sentences when they are convicted of robbery.

  1. Shoplifting

While residential theft might be the first thing to come to your mind when thinking of property crimes, shoplifting also falls under this category because items sold in stores are private properties of the owners.

Officially termed as retail theft, penalties for shoplifting solely depend on the items’ value and situations surrounding the criminal’s arrest. Normally, shoplifting is charged as a misdemeanor, but you can get a felony if the item’s value is beyond $1,000.

  1. Property Crimes

Property crimes make up about 88% of every crime committed in Colorado. As of 2023, property crime in the state was about 2,100 incidents per 80,000 residents. This places the state number 12 in state property crime. The most prevalent property crimes in the state include the following:

  • Motor vehicle theft – In this, the state ranks second.
  • Burglary – This involves unlawful entry to a building or dwelling aiming to commit other crimes.
  • Larceny – This category is broad. It constitutes about 70% of property crimes in Colorado.
  1. Arson

A person can be charged for intentionally using explosives or starting a fire to destroy a property, whether out of maliciousness or for insurance.

The state’s arson crimes encompass residential properties, but you may as well commit larceny by starting fire to a forest or boat.

In the state, arson is charged as a felony, but factors like whether insurance fraud was planned and whether the building was occupied or not can influence sentencing.

  1. Drug-Related and DUI Crimes

Driving while intoxicated with drugs, including prescribed cannabis and other OTC drugs, is regarded as a DWAI or DUI violation in the state. Both crimes require you to submit your blood test as a breath test won’t be able to detect drug intoxication.

Usually, the offenders for DUI, as well as other crimes related to drugs, are between 25 and 3 years old. DWAI and DUI are very common in the state and are considered misdemeanors.

If you get charged with either of these crimes in Colorado, hiring a criminal defense lawyer would be best. Ensure you hire an experienced attorney with a proven track record of successfully representing clients with similar cases as yours. This way, you will get lenient penalties.