Criminal Mischief Charges in Utah

In the state of Utah, criminal property damage offenses are typically charged as criminal mischief under state law. Criminal mischief can be prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or a felony offense depending upon the nature of the crime, the extent of the property damage and the intent involved.

A person can be guilty of committing the crime of criminal mischief on a variety of different levels ranging from keying somebody's car, to shooting paintballs at a motor vehicle or a bus, to doing something that recklessly endangers another human life.

Vandalism crimes can be charged as criminal mischief, as well as defrauding an insurer. Truthfully, many crimes hold up to the term "criminal mischief" because they refer to mischievous activity that either costs the victim, an insurer, a public utility or other entity a significant amount of money. Activities which involve defacing private or public property, defrauding an insurance company, interrupting a city infrastructure or public utility, or recklessly propelling objects at a moving vehicle, truck, bus, train or plain while they are moving or sitting still fall under the category of criminal mischief.