Our client faced a charge of Unauthorized Entry into a Motor Vehicle, carrying a potential jail sentence of 364 days. The charge — essentially the crime of breaking into a vehicle with the intent to commit a crime inside — arose from one of the more unusual fact patterns our firm has encountered. Attorney Tyler Beach waived jury and tried the case to the judge, securing a full Not Guilty verdict.

The circumstances were straightforward. Our client was being detained — not arrested — at the scene of a domestic violence investigation while officers interviewed witnesses nearby. Left standing beside a running police vehicle, and with his phone battery running low, our client noticed the police car had an available USB port with a charging cord. He got into the vehicle and plugged in his phone.

Officers observed him inside the vehicle touching the charging cord and concluded he was attempting to steal the car. Charges followed.

Mr. Beach focused his defense on the critical element of intent. The “charge” (pun intended) requires proof that the defendant entered the vehicle with the intent to commit a crime inside. Tyler argued that our client's sole intent was to charge his phone — not to commit any crime whatsoever. The fact that he entered a running police car in plain view of multiple officers, in broad daylight, while being detained, made the theft theory particularly difficult to sustain.

The judge agreed, returning a Not Guilty verdict.

This case is another example of Mr. Beach's consistent ability to focus a defense on the precise legal element the prosecution cannot prove.