A man in Florida has been charged with theft and trespassing after stealing a bulldozer from a construction site and using it to destroy signs supporting a Democratic nominee. According to the police, the man claimed that he was drunk and didn’t remember large portions of the day.
The man sneaked onto a construction site and stole a bulldozer, then drove it through a residential area. He knocked down a speed limit sign and a fence on a residential property. The man used the bulldozer to dig up several signs in a yard that supported the Democratic nominee for president. Later, he admitted to the police that he didn’t know how to use the construction equipment.
The police chief said that the man’s behavior was extremely reckless and he was lucky that he didn’t injure anyone. After he was arrested, he was charged with theft of property that exceeded $20,000 and trespassing on a construction area. A court date has not yet been announced.
In recent days, multiple campaign signs have been vandalized in the area. One individual taped a razor blade to the bottom of a sign, while another set a hay bale with political signs on fire. Other signs have been vandalized and stolen from people’s yards.
What should you do if you’re charged with theft?
While the terms “theft,” “robbery” and “burglary” are often used interchangeably, they have different legal definitions and can lead to different outcomes in court. Theft is usually a misdemeanor, while burglary and robbery is typically charged as a felony. If you used a weapon during the robbery, you could be looking at twenty years in prison or more.
An attorney might be able to fight a wide range of charges. This could include armed robbery, shoplifting, breaking into a vehicle, home burglary and more.
