Six Juveniles Charged in Pasadena High School Vandalism
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that six girls were charged with a Pasadena juvenile crime after being caught in connection with a high school vandalism.
Our Pasadena criminal defense lawyers know that parents are concerned for their children. This includes their concern for their future, which can be hurt if they face a criminal conviction as a teenager.
Vandalism is a common crime for teenagers to commit or get charged with committing because many see it as harmless. The police, however, see it as an expensive crime that can also harm the image of a city. That's why authorities are adamant about filing charges and seeking convictions.
Sometimes, authorities even attempt to turn these minor crimes into Pasadena gang crimes, which is often a stretch. California law allows prosecutors to sometimes enhance charges as "gang crimes" based on an easily-met criteria determined by police.
These enhancements can lead to stringent penalties, including increased jail terms, probationary periods, fines and fees and other sanctions. Those are only the penalties levied by the criminal justice system, however.
That doesn't include the potential sanctions placed on the teen by society. Criminal convictions can lead to school suspensions or expulsions, which would show up on their academic records. For teenagers hoping to get into a college or university of their choice, criminal charges can be a major obstacle. Many scholarships that a student would otherwise be qualified for may disqualify that student if he or she is convicted.
Still others could lose their jobs, which could create major financial obstacles. That's why preparing a strong defense and not necessarily taking the first plea offer the state makes can be good strategies.
In this case, the Los Angeles Times reports, six girls were arrested for vandalizing the Marshall Fundamental High School in Pasadena. Police say the girls were responsible for marking every campus building with graffiti over the recent three-day weekend.
Administrators returned to the school Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to find that "lewd and derogatory" remarks were written in spray paint across the high school's campus. Administrators estimate it will cost between $4,000 and $5,000 to clean up the spray paint.
Police said they used video surveillance to track down the suspects. Authorities said the video captured images of some of the suspects. The names and ages of the suspects weren't reported by the Times.
What remains to be seen is how reliable the video tape evidence is and whether there is any other physical or circumstantial evidence that connects the suspects to the crimes. Another issue in cases like this is that the state will often seek restitution, which is money to pay for damages, in vandalism cases. This can be a financial struggle for many teenagers.
But that's only if the student is convicted of the Pasadena juvenile crime. A strong criminal defense lawyer will challenge all evidence, statements and witnesses and hold the state to its burden of proving the case beyond all reasonable doubt.
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The male trio, a 19-year-old, 18-year-old, and a juvenile, had allegedly stolen beer from the store earlier in the night, but returned an hour later in an attempt to take the surveillance video of the robbery, according to The Los Angeles Times.
First of all, stay calm and as positive as you can. If you're reading this, you realize that it's important to be proactive and search for information that will be helpful during this challenging time. You are probably worried about how a DUI will affect your child, especially since they are under the age of 21, and you may even be upset with them. However, just because they were arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol does not mean that they were in fact "under the influence." 
