New York Penal Law 145.25: Reckless Endangerment of Property
Crashing a vehicle that doesn’t belong to you, setting a house on fire, or destroying any type of property are all examples of the reckless endangerment of property. A lawyer fighting the charges will try to prove that the person didn’t do the damage intentionally, and that they were unaware of the consequences that would occur because of their actions. If it doesn’t look like the accused can be cleared of the charges for reckless endangerment, the lawyer will try to negotiate a deal, or work to get the sentence reduced, and to have the consequences minimized.
The Classification and Punishments
The conviction of reckless property endangerment is classified as a class B misdemeanor. With this charge, someone could face jail time, be sentenced to probation, will have to pay fees and restitution, have to do community service, and this information will be on criminal record. With no prior criminal charges the likelihood of spending time in jail will be decreased, and it may be easier to get the charges reduced to a minimum or dropped. Although the sentencing and punishments of time and money could be short lived, the ramifications of having the charges on a criminal record can be effective for years.
