Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
Jacksonville Beach police arrested two men this month for sticking “Townies Go Home” stickers on buildings, signs and other local landmarks. The stickers are a reference to recent trouble at the beach, including a Memorial Day brawl that was videotaped and went viral on the Internet, which was believed to be caused by people who lived in Northwest Jacksonville – not at Jacksonville Beach, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union.
Matthew Sugden-Kirsch and Jason Swanson were both arrested after a citizen flagged down an officer about 4 a.m. and said he saw two men on bicycles putting up the stickers, the newspaper reported. Both had dozens of stickers in their backpacks and officials have reported that hundreds have been removed from various structures since early June, the newspaper reported. Both men were charged with criminal mischief in Jacksonville causing between $200 and $1,000 in damages, a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida punishable by up to one year in the county jail. Criminal mischief is a Jacksonville Misdemeanor Crimes charge that is essentially vandalism. It’s the same charge people would get for spray-painting a building or smashing a window, provided the damage is between $200 and $1,000. If the damage is more than $1,000, the charge can be upgraded to a Duval County felony and the defendant can be facing up to five years in prison. The same is true if the vandalism is done to a business and the labor and supplies to repair the damage or bring it to the prior condition was more than $1,000. It doesn’t take long to get to $1,000, but apparently in this Jacksonville Misdemeanor Case, the property owners were able to just peel the stickers off if they wanted them removed. It also may be difficult for the state to prove just how many of the stickers these two men posted, or if there were others making similar statements in this Jacksonville Misdemeanor Crimes Case.
Another deterrent in these Jacksonville Misdemeanor Cases is if someone is arrested on a criminal mischief and has one or more previous conviction for criminal mischief, he or she can be charged with a felony – regardless of the dollar amount. In most cases, that’s enough for defendants not to do it again. Misdemeanor cases can be positive learning experiences for people – enough of a taste of the criminal justice system to know you want to stay out, but not enough to put a serious damper on someone getting an education or holding down a job. These cases generally get little public attention and defendants can work them out and move on in relative anonymity. This Jacksonville Misdemeanor Case is different. The Memorial Day brawl and its aftermath were covered extensively by the local media outlets, more than one of which published or aired stories about the conflict between some Beaches residents and people they deem as outsiders who just come down to fight and stir up trouble. People will be paying more attention to this Jacksonville Criminal Mischief Case and, in some cases, that alone can lead to a higher sentence.
If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Duval County Violent Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.