Colorado Springs Misdemeanor Lawyer

Misdemeanors are the next level up from a petty offense or traffic infraction. Most minor infractions are punishable by fines or classes however, misdemeanors can come with more serious punishment such as large fines, jail time, counseling, rehabilitation programs, probation and a criminal record that can be seen by employers doing background checks. These charges will stay on your record for years unless you are able to have them sealed after completing your sentence. Colorado groups most misdemeanor charges together in terms of penalties for the offenders as detailed below.

Driving Misdemeanors: Driving infractions are typically citations, but negligent acts while driving can escalate your infractions up to traffic misdemeanors, especially if your driving caused injuries or death of another person.

General Misdemeanors: General misdemeanors are typically crimes such as theft, trespassing, harassment, assault, disorderly conduct & more.

Drug Misdemeanors: Drug misdemeanors are for possession of personal amounts of schedule V controlled substances. These charges become felonies when the amounts in possession are more than personal use amounts. Marijuana is handled differently in Colorado though, our state will only charge a misdemeanor if the amount of marijuana in your possession is over 1 ounce but less than 8 ounces. If you have a valid physician recommendation also known as a medical marijuana card, you may have up to 2 ounces legally.

Sexual Misdemeanors: Sexual misdemeanors are typically crimes like indecent exposure and unlawful sexual contact, but even as a misdemeanor offense, they are very serious and you may still be required to register with sex offender registries.

Although there are classes of misdemeanors, it is not always so black and white when it comes down to sentencing. Some crimes may be seen as minor to the judge and punishment may be doing more harm to the offender than the crime did to society. In these cases, a judge will likely accept a plea bargain and opt for fines and community service in lieu of jail time or probation. In other cases where the crime committed was considered “an extraordinary risk to harm society” the charges may be escalated and the judge may place an extra 6 months of jail time on top of the normal sentencing. Each case is different, as well as the prior criminal history of each defendant. Don’t let the court system chew you up and spit you out, let our expert misdemeanor attorneys defend your case so you get a better outcome.