Legal Question in Criminal Law in Ohio

Criminal

Hi my daughter is 15 and she has been charged with tampering with evidence felony f5. She got this charge because a student had stolen a credit card and used it and she hid her coat. But the other girl is only charged with a felony f3. Why is my daughter's charge more than the other girls and how can it be lessoned to a misdemenor.


Asked on 5/05/09, 11:58 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Richard Cline Office of the Ohio Public Defender

Re: Criminal

Your daughter is not charged with a more serious offense than the other girls. In Ohio, felonies are numbered one through five (F-1, F-2, F-3, F-4, F-5). An F-1 is the most serious felony offense and an F-5 is the least serious felony offense. Therefore, an F-5 Tampering with Evidence is the lowest level felony offense while an F-3 Theft is a mid-level felony.

If your daughter has an attorney she should work with that person to try to get the charges reduced to a misdemeanor. If your daughter cannot afford to hire her own attorney she should talk to the public defender in your community. Even though an F-5 is the lowest level felony, it still carries with it the possibility of up to 12 months in prison and a substantial fine. She should not try to handle this case without a lawyer.

Best of luck in this matter.

Respectfully,

Rich Cline

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Answered on 5/05/09, 12:21 pm


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