Fifteen college freshmen from Texas Tech spent a night in jail recently and now face serious criminal charges. All fifteen are rushing the same fraternity, leading some to wonder if the act was related to hazing or some other sort of prank. Now, however, no one is laughing and the potential for jail time looms overhead.
The fifteen young men range in age from 18 to 20. All are facing charges of theft and organized crime for a suspected collaborative effort on Labor Day earlier this week.
The police were called when the young men were seen stealing lumber from a residential construction site. They are said to have taken materials from two different construction sites though it isn’t clear what the lumber was for.
All of the young men were released on their own recognizance the following day as the judge didn’t apparently view any of them as flight risks. The school and fraternity officials refused to comment on the case though the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal states this wouldn’t be the first time this particular fraternity caught flack for hazing-type issues.
More than likely this instance was a prank gone wrong. However, the judge is not likely to see the humor in a theft charge. While the young men apparently didn’t logically consider the repercussions of their actions before going through with the thefts, they don’t have a choice but to face them head on now.
The penalties faced for a theft charge depend on the value of the theft. Although we don’t know the value of the lumber in question, it may reach a state felony charge if it’s valued over $1,500. This could result in up to 2 years in a state jail along with fines.
Like these young men, most people caught up in the criminal courts didn’t stop to weigh the risks before moving forward with a criminal act. The feeling of “I’ll never get caught” seems to pervade many people’s minds during times like this.
Once you are caught, however, you have to take responsibility for your actions in one way or another. Although you committed a crime, you aren’t out of options. Depending on your specific case and your criminal history, there’s a good chance we could work out a plea agreement with the prosecution in regards to your charges.
A plea agreement, depending on the terms, could get you out of serving any jail time. Instead, you may serve probation. If you’re interested in learning more about your options including the chances of working out a plea bargain or even getting the charges dropped altogether, contact us today.
