Robbery

In Pennsylvania, the difference between theft and robbery is that in robbery you not only take someone else’s property, while you do so you use force, or you seriously injure someone else or threaten to injure them. If you are charged with robbery, you face severe penalties that include years in prison and heavy fines. You will need to retain an experienced criminal defense attorney in Pennsylvania as soon as possible who can show your side of the story and provide a strong defense.

Robbery Charges

In Pennsylvania, you can be charged with robbery when while committing a theft, you:

• Inflict serious bodily injury on someone else.
• Threaten to inflict serious bodily injury on someone else.
• Commit theft while committing or threatening to immediately commit any felony of the first or second degree, for example rape or kidnapping.
• Inflict bodily injury on another, or threaten another with or intentionally put them in fear of, immediate bodily injury
• Take someone’s property by force, even if it is slight force.

To commit a robbery, you must also be in the course of committing or attempting to commit a theft or fleeing after attempting or committing a theft.

• Robbery is a felony of the first degree if you are convicted of causing someone serious bodily injury or threatening to cause them serious injury or if you commit the theft while committing another felony.
• If you inflict an injury that isn’t serious, it is a felony of the second degree.
• If you simply use force, it is a felony of the third degree.

What To Do If You Are Charged

If you are charged with robbery, do not anger the arresting officer unnecessarily.

You will probably be held in jail overnight. At this stage, do not discuss what happened with the police or claim your innocence.

• As with most criminal charges, you should not talk to the police or prosecutors without your attorney by your side. What you say can be taken out of context and used against you.

If the police question you, tell them you want a lawyer and politely refuse to answer their questions.

What Your Trusted Criminal Defense Attorney in Pennsylvania Can Do for You

Your attorney will carefully review every aspect of your case to determine if there is evidence for all you have been accused of.

• Your lawyer will make every effort to discredit any evidence not in your favor.
• Much of what your lawyer can do to help you will depend on the exact circumstances of your case.
• You may not have been committing a theft at the time of the alleged robbery. If so, your lawyer will gather the evidence or witnesses to prove it.
• You may not have used force, injured someone or threatened to injure someone. If so, you lawyer will gather the evidence or witnesses to prove it.

A skilled criminal defense attorney in Pennsylvania will be looking at every avenue that can help you, so it’s important that you give them all of the information that can support your case.

How A Lawyer Will Help

When you are up against a robbery charge, even before your first hearing you will be facing a determined prosecutor. You need an attorney who will stand by you every step of the way, work hard to discredit any evidence – and work with you to determine your best course of action.

Pennsylvania Robbery Law

Robbery is described and defined under The Pennsylvania Criminal Code under Title 18, Chapter 33. Read the code here.