You saw that your neighbor had an item of yours on their property. It had gone missing the week before. You called the police, but they didn’t want to help. They believed that it would be difficult to prove that the item was stolen or that the one on your neighbor’s property wasn’t just coincidental.
So, you decided to take steps to get your property back. You knocked on their door, and no one was home. You noticed that the back gate was unlocked, so you walked onto the property, took your item and left.
You were shocked when you found the police knocking on your door a few hours later. There was video surveillance showing you stealing something off the neighbor’s property. Now what do you do?
Put together a strong defense for the court
This may just be a misunderstanding, so the first thing to do is to talk to your attorney about clearing up this confusion with your neighbor. Explain that the same item went missing and that you made a report. Explain that you saw what you believed was yours on their property.
If you have a receipt for the item you purchased, that will help. Additionally, if you have any evidence that they took the item from you, then now is the time to provide that to your attorney.
Burglary charges are made for unauthorized entry into a home or property. Your attorney will help show that this misunderstanding doesn’t amount to burglary. The gate was open, and you didn’t intend to commit a crime. These facts can work in your favor as you try to mount a successful defense.