Our client faced a charge of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree — a felony — after an incident in which he damaged his mother’s vehicle. The prosecution’s best plea offer was 24 months in prison. Attorney Tyler Beach took the case to trial and transformed that outcome entirely, securing a result of probation with mental health treatment.

The key to the case was a precise understanding of what the law actually requires. Criminal Mischief in the First Degree requires that the damage caused meet or exceed $1,000 in value. Mr. Beach methodically challenged the valuation of the damage at trial and proved that the total loss was less than that threshold. As a result, our client was convicted of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree — a misdemeanor — rather than the felony charge the prosecution pursued.

That distinction was life-changing. The felony conviction would have required a prison sentence. The misdemeanor conviction carried no such requirement. Our client, who has a history of mental health illness, received probation with mental health treatment — an outcome that addresses the underlying issues rather than simply punishing them.

Mr. Beach did not win this case by disputing what happened. He won it by holding the prosecution to the precise legal standard the charge required — and proving they could not meet it.

The difference between a felony and a misdemeanor, between prison and probation, was less than $1,000. Tyler Beach found that difference and used it.