LOCATIONS
Cumming/Forsyth County
Suwanee/Gwinnett County
Commerce/Jackson County
Are You Facing An Arson Charge? Call the criminal defense attorneys at Banks, Stubbs & McFarland.
Being charged with Arson is a serious issue. In Georgia, it’s considered a serious offense and broken down in three degrees.Here’s how arson offenses are broken down:
By Georgia Law, a person is guilty of first-degree arson when:
By Georgia Law, a person is guilty of second-degree arson when:
By Georgia Law, a person is guilty of third-degree arson when:
A person convicted of arson will be penalized by:
An arson conviction is a felony conviction, which could make it difficult to obtain credit, buy a house, find employment, and will result in a forfeiture of voting rights.
The State must show that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to be convicted of arson in the first degree. This requires showing that the accused was the person who did the burning, and that the fire came from an incendiary origin. The two main parts of Arson are knowingly doing the damage, and damage being done by fire or explosives. A defendant cannot be convicted of arson without both of these elements being true.
In all our experience as criminal defense attorneys in Gwinnett and surrounding counties, we have heard a wide variety of things that are not helpful to a successful arson defense.
Many people facing arson charges state that the building wasn’t occupied at the time of the fire. This makes no difference since this crime is about property damage as well as potentially other criminal offenses.
We have also heard of clients that said they were not the ones who started the fire, however, in Georgia, if there is proof that you encouraged, hired someone to set a fire, aided, advised or helped someone set a fire then you can be convicted as well.
If you or someone you love is facing an arson charge in Gwinnett County, Forsyth County, Hall County Barrow County, Dawson County or Jackson County, call Banks, Stubbs & McFarland today.
We are located in Suwanee Georgia, but we defend clients throughout Gwinnett County, Forsyth County, Hall County, Barrow County, Jackson County, and Dawson County. Contact our Atlanta law firmas soon as possible to learn how we advocate for your best interests.