Felonies and misdemeanours are two categories of crime that a Franklin County criminal defense attorney needs to be an expert in. While misdemeanours are nothing to be taken lightly, felony offenses are extremely serious business. Penalties for felonies can range from as little as three years all the way to a life sentence. The following defines a felony, its classifications and the corresponding jail sentences. You need to hire a Franklin County felony defense lawyer who understands and has experience defending clients charged with felonies and the penalties for each type of felony.
A felony is defined as a serious crime carrying a potential penalty of imprisonment for more than six months, or death. Murder and aggravated murder are the most serious felonies and I will explain the classifications and penalties of both. Other felonies include drug trafficking, kidnapping, rape and robbery. As Franklin County Defense Lawyers, we see this every day. Franklin County Ohio classifies felonies into five main categories, first through fifth degree, with first degree being the most serious and fifth-degree the least serious. If you commit a felony in Ohio, you are facing a potentially long prison sentence. These sentences are based on the degree of the felony. The penalty for a first-degree felony is three to eleven years imprisonment. Second-degree felons face two to eight years. Third-degree penalties are nine months to five years. Fourth-degree felonies carry a six to the eighteen-month potential prison term and fifth-degree felonies carry a penalty of six months to a year in prison. If you have been charged in Franklin County with any of the felonies above you need a good felony defense lawyer. While the list is much greater, here are an example of the types of felony crimes by class. First degree felonies are rape, voluntary manslaughter and kidnapping. Second-degree felonies include Illegally manufacturing or processing explosives, soliciting prostitution after a positive HIV test and abduction.
Third-degree felonies are reckless homicide, robbery and theft. Fourth-degree felonies are unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, safecracking, and grand theft auto. Fifth-degree felonies include acceptance of objectionable materials, breaking and entering, and gambling. There are also two unclassified categories of felony, murder and aggravated murder that I need to address. There are two unclassified categories of felonies in Ohio, murder and aggravated murder. The law allows for individual and specific penalties for each. The first and lesser unclassified category of a felony is murder. For someone convicted of ordinary murder, not aggravated murder, the sentence ranges from 15 years in prison to life in prison without parole. A more serious unclassified felony is aggravated murder. If you are convicted of aggravated murder, the penalty ranges from the death penalty to life with parole after serving a minimum of 20 years in prison. I’m not going to try to explain the complexities of the term “aggravated” as it applies to aggravated murder except to say that it is the most serious and usually involves special circumstances such as pre-planning, the murder being intentional, money exchanged for services or multiple victims during the same episode over time. In addition to murder and aggravated murder, The State of Ohio can also impose mandatory prison sentences in the case of the rape or attempted rape of a juvenile under the age of 13. Certain sexual offenses and firearm possession while committing a felony are also instances where mandatory prison sentences can be applied. The penalties imposed must be either a specific number of years in prison or a range of years in prison.
An example of a mandatory sentence would be in the instance of a person being convicted of aggravated murder serving a mandatory sentence of at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole. Another mandatory sentence could be for the use of a gun or other firearm in the commission of a felony. The mandatory sentence would be three years in prison. As you can see, being charged with a felony in Ohio is serious business. You need a Logan County criminal defense attorney that will provide you with legal assistance to defend the felony criminal charges levelled against you. A felony criminal accusation will make a serious impact on your person and reputation. With the right Logan County criminal defense attorney at The Rutan Law Firm, you’re assured of an experienced and knowledgeable professional that will hear your side and look out for your best interest. Call us today for a 24/7 free consultation at 614-307-4343 or click through to our Logan County criminal defense page.
