Legal Question in Criminal Law in Texas

Re: grand theft auto...or not?

It is hard to tell you what kind of punishment he is looking at without knowing exactly what he has been charged with. Grand Theft Auto is not the name of a crime in Texas. It would just be called Theft. What type of punishment he might be looking at on a theft charge is determined by the value of whatever he stole. If the value is more than $1500, then it is a State Jail Felony which carries a punishment up to 2 years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine. If the value is less than $1500 then it would be a misdemeanor with a lesser punishment, probably up to 1 year in Jail and up to a $4,000 fine. It sounds like there may also be other issues in this case. First, it sounds like he didn't actually steal anything, only attempted to. Second, it sounds like there could potentially be other charges, like Criminal Trespass. There are probably other things to consider, but I would need more information. Does he have a lawyer? If not, he should get one. If the police are already talking about reducing charges, it may be because they don't have a good case. He should not agree to anything, or make any statements, until he speaks with an attorney. Good luck, and please let me know if I can help.