Legal Question in Criminal Law in Virginia

grand larceny and burglarious tool

Hi, I recently bailed out two friends from jail, who stole a lot of merchandise from a large department store. The total was way above the 200 dollar border line set in Virginia. The grand larceny charge was for items stolen and the other charge was for a razor blade found in one a purse. I don't think the friend used it, but they charged them anyway. Also she has told me that her lawyer put in a plea bargain and it was denied. My questions are why would a plea bargain ever be denied and can it be denied? What are they facing in terms of charges? They also told me they are both being tried together. Does that have an affect on the verdict? And this is there first offense, so what are they looking at in terms of punishment? I hear VA is one of the hardest states when it comes to punishing the convicted. I feel as if they have no fighting chance. They stole and concealed expensive merchandise from a very large department store. I just would like to know if they have a fighting chance and be more informed on the process. And finally does the rejection of the plea bargain mean that the prosecution will seek a very harsh punishment?


Asked on 1/08/08, 6:54 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: grand larceny and burglarious tool

First of all, it's appropriate to clear up the misconception regarding the alleged "plea bargain" to which you've referred. What you probably mean(or the defendant who related this to you means)is that her lawyer made an offer to the prosecutor

to settle the case which the prosecutor found inadequate and therefore rejected it. In other words, there was apparently no plea bargain whatsoever in this case which

would've required the agreement of both prosecutor and defense counsel before such an agreement could come to fruition.

And as for your other questions, all of these would be best put to your friends' defense counsels who are very likely much better positioned than any lawyer on lawguru.com to answer.

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Answered on 1/08/08, 7:32 pm


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