Legal Question in Criminal Law in Wisconsin

Can I get in a lot of trouble?

A guy gave me keys to his apt. to get something, and while I was there I put a cell phone in the microwave. It began to smoke, but did not set the place on fire. He is threatening to call the police and I wanted to know if he has any leverage since he gave me consent to go inside. No one saw me do this and I have not admitted to it. If I continue to deny, will this all blow over? What can the police do? The only things that were ruined were the cell phone and microwave.


Asked on 11/18/08, 9:53 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Jeffrey Murrell Law Office of Jeffrey L. Murrell

Re: Can I get in a lot of trouble?

Yes - what a stupid thing to do! And you have just got to realize on some level that, just because he gave you permission to enter his home, it did not mean that he gave you permission to destroy any of his property (what a stupid thing to think!). Listen, if you gave a friend permission to pat your dog, it wouldn't mean that he could pull its tail or hit it. If you keep your mouth shut, this may indeed just "blow over," as you hope it will. But you seriously need to think about what you're doing a little bit more carefully, or you may be headed on a one-way trip to prison in the future for some other stupid, criminal act. What gives your friend a lot of "leverage" against you here is the fact that he knew you went inside and that you were apparently the only one there at the time this happened. So, even if you do keep your mouth shut and say nothing to the police, they likely will have all the evidence they'd need with your friend to charge you with something like vandalism or criminal damage to property. Get your act together, and good luck to you.

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Answered on 11/20/08, 10:42 pm


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