Burglaries

Burglary Defense Lawyer

The classic definition of burglary in Black's Law Dictionary is the breaking and entering of a dwelling in the nighttime with the intent to commit a crime therein. In modern-day Connecticut, the element of "nighttime" no longer applies. You can be charged with burglary if you break into a dwelling even during daylight hours. You can also be changed with burglary if you break into any other building, for example, a pharmacy or any place of business. The key elements that make a crime a burglary is "breaking," the "entering," and the "intent to commit a crime."

I'm John Walkley, a burglary defense lawyer in Monroe, Connecticut, serving people in New Haven by appointment. Those who are charged with burglary are concerned about prison time, especially if they have a prior criminal record. Burglaries are cases that get prosecutors' attention. It is very difficult to negotiate an outcome that does not include jail time, since prosecutors and judges understandably don't like it when people go into other people's homes and commit crimes.

People who are charged with burglary may also be charged with a related crime such as larceny. A home invasion may lead to burglary and robbery changes.

All burglaries are felonies in Connecticut. If you are convicted of a felony, you can't vote, hold public office, or own a firearm. You wouldn't be eligible for certain government entitlements. In addition, obtaining a good job in the future would be difficult, since employers usually conduct background checks of potential employees.

One defense in a burglary case is that you thought you had a right to be where you were at the time the police allege you committed a crime. This defense might be used in a case where a person is charged with entering his or her own home or place of business after which a crime is alleged to have been committed. In such a setting, you can see how the facts are important to the defenses that are or may be available to a client.  In one case, I was able to get a burglary charge dismissed because the house my client entered had been abandoned and therefore wasn't a "dwelling" under the statutes. Every case is factually different, and as your attorney I will try to use those facts to shape your defense.

For a free initial consultation, contact burglary defense lawyer John Walkley.