When most people think of the term “burglary,” they think of a person breaking into a home to steal money or property. However, under Illinois law,1 the criminal offense of burglary encompasses many more potential scenarios than the traditional idea of a burglary. All burglary charges can be extremely serious, therefore, anyone who is suspected of committing burglary under any type of circumstances should contact an experienced Chicago criminal defense attorney immediately.

Generally speaking, burglary refers to entering a building, motor vehicle, trailer, aircraft, or watercraft with the intent to commit a theft or any other type of felony offense. “Entering” does not have to mean forcefully breaking in, but can also mean using fraud to gain entry, sneaking in, or even remaining after permission to be there had expired. Burglary can be charged as a Class 2 felony, which comes with a potential sentence of three to seven years in state prison. Furthermore, you may face Class 1 felony charges if the burglary occurred in one of the following locations:

  • Day care center
  • Group care home
  • Other types of child care facilities
  • School
  • Place of worship

In such situations, you may face a minimum of four years and a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Residential burglary

Illinois sets out a separate offense2 for burglaries that occur in the residential dwelling of another person or group of people. A “dwelling” refers to a place where a person sleeps. If you are suspected of entering or remaining in a dwelling without permission with intent to commit a felony crime or theft, you may face Class 1 felony charges. The penalties may significantly increase if anyone was home at the time of the burglary, if you allegedly used a weapon, or if you caused injury to another person.

 

Contact an experienced Chicago criminal defense lawyer for a free consultation

Burglary requires that you have the intent to commit a crime, however, many people face charges when they were present in a building with no such intent. Experienced Chicago criminal defense attorney Nenye E. Uche knows how to defend all types of burglary cases, so please call today at 888-251-4428 for a free consultation.

References:

1http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K19-1

2http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K19-3

 

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