Colorado enforces severe felony punishments for individuals who steal a motor vehicle, accept a stolen automobile, commit carjacking, or engage in joyriding under certain conditions. Anyone who breaks into a car or strips components from it will likely face extra criminal allegations.
Colorado Laws for Grand Theft Auto
The state laws governing automobile theft apply directly to any individual who unlawfully takes a car or knowingly accepts an auto that belongs to someone else. Legally, theft takes place through unauthorized possession, trickery, or intimidation.
Local prosecutors look at joyriding as the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. This specific charge handles situations where someone only intended a temporary taking of the car. If an individual takes an automobile for joyriding but retains it for over 24 hours, inflicts any physical damage, or utilizes the vehicle while carrying out another offense, the state will elevate the charge to a felony vehicle theft.
Consequences of Motor Vehicle Theft Across Colorado
The state organizes and punishes automobile theft based on the specific events surrounding the incident and whether the accused individual has a prior record of stealing vehicles. Colorado outlines three distinct levels of this offense, designating first-degree as the most severe violation and third-degree as the least severe.
Consequences of First-Degree Automobile Theft
When an individual takes a vehicle and already holds two previous convictions for auto theft or unauthorized use, the offense escalates to a class 3 felony. Facing this specific felony conviction means a person could spend anywhere from 4 to 12 years inside a state prison alongside substantial financial penalties.
Consequences of Second-Degree Automobile Theft
An individual faces a class 4 felony under the second-degree theft statute. Prosecutors bring these specific charges forward if the accused individual engaged in any of the following activities:
- Kept an automobile without permission for a period exceeding 24 hours
- Changed or hid how the vehicle looked or attempted to do so
- Took off or altered the vehicle identification number or tried to do so
- Drove or moved the vehicle outside state lines
- Swapped out or used fraudulent license plates on the vehicle
- Inflicted property damage to the automobile valued at $1,000 or more
- Inflicted physical bodily injury on another person
- Used or attempted to use the automobile to carry out a crime, excluding minor traffic infractions or vehicle trespass
- Took a vehicle that displayed specialized disability plates or placards
An individual who receives a conviction for this class 4 felony faces a potential prison term lasting between two and six years.
Consequences of Third-Degree Automobile Theft
Third-degree auto theft stands as a class 5 felony. This classification only comes into play if the case lacks every single one of the aggravating factors listed in the higher degrees, meaning law enforcement recovered the automobile with practically zero damage within a brief period. The absolute longest prison sentence a judge can hand down for a class 5 felony is three years.
Consequences for Joyriding and Unauthorized Vehicle Use in Colorado
A first offense for joyriding brings class 1 misdemeanor penalties, which can include a jail stay of up to 364 days and a maximum fine of $1,000. If an individual experiences repeat convictions for unauthorized vehicle use, the charge climbs to a class 5 felony that carries one to three years of prison time.
The opportunity to face a misdemeanor instead of a felony relies entirely on the vehicle returning to its owner within 24 hours without a single scratch. When that fails to happen, the situation turns into a felony vehicle theft. The state also files felony vehicle theft charges if the individual commits a separate crime while driving the car, such as shoplifting or assault.
Consequences of Carjacking in Colorado
Carjacking falls directly under the umbrella of state robbery statutes. Taking a vehicle directly from an individual or out of their immediate presence through physical force, threats, or intimidation is a class 4 felony that carries two to six years in prison.
If a person displays a deadly weapon or merely implies that they have one during the incident, the crime becomes aggravated robbery. This is a class 3 felony and an extraordinary risk offense, meaning a conviction brings a prison term lasting between 4 and 16 years. Should the individual actually strike or wound the victim with that weapon, or use it to make the victim fear for their life, much harsher sentencing guidelines for violent crimes will apply.
Consequences of Vehicle Tampering and Stripping Parts in Colorado
An individual who tampers with an automobile by breaking inside or stripping away components faces criminal trespass or criminal mischief allegations. Dropping those stolen items off at a chop shop brings automatic felony charges, and if the individual takes any property from the inside of the cabin or strips away external parts, regular theft charges apply.
Unlawful Vehicle Entry and Trespass
State law dictates that entering someone else’s vehicle without permission constitutes a class 2 misdemeanor. The charge jumps up to a class 1 misdemeanor if evidence shows the person broke inside with the explicit intent to commit a separate crime once indoors, such as stealing items, damaging property, or assaulting an occupant.
Property Damage and Criminal Mischief
When a person inflicts structural or cosmetic damage on an automobile, they commit criminal mischief. The exact penalties for this violation rest entirely on the financial cost of the damage caused, shifting into a felony once the repair costs reach or exceed $2,000.
Theft of Automobile Parts
Stealing any items or components from a vehicle, such as a catalytic converter, results in independent theft charges where the severity matches the monetary value of the stolen goods. The felony threshold sits at $2,000, though anyone who delivers a vehicle or its parts to an illegal chop shop faces an automatic class 5 felony regardless of what the items are actually worth.
Altering Vehicle Identification Marks
Defacing, changing, or wiping out identification numbers stamped onto a vehicle or its major components, including catalytic converters, is a class 5 felony.
Consult with Our Defense Attorney
If you are currently facing charges for motor vehicle theft or tampering in Montrose or the surrounding areas, you need to speak with a local defense lawyer as fast as possible.
Brent Martin at The Martin Law Firm is a seasoned trial attorney with over 20 years of experience fighting for clients in Colorado courts. Since 2001, he has represented thousands of clients in serious criminal cases and understands how to evaluate the evidence, build strong defenses, and protect your future from the lasting disruptions a criminal record brings to your employment and housing options. Call (970) 730-4354 to discuss your situation.