Tampering with Vehicle
January 5, 2016 by Jean Humbrecht
Tampering with a Vehicle, Va. Code §18.2-146, is a common destruction of property charge in Virginia. The statute criminalizes the defacing or destruction of more than just cars. but this post specifically focuses on tampering with a vehicle in Virginia.
Virginia Tampering with Vehicle Charge: Definition
An offender can be convicted of a Virginia tampering with vehicle charge if he breaks, injures, tampers with or remove any part of the vehicle or renders the vehicle inoperable.
Proof of Virginia Tampering with Vehicle Charge
The Commonwealth can prove a Virginia tampering with vehicle charge in a number of ways. The Commonwealth must prove that the offender intentionally:
- broke, injured, tampered with or removed any part or parts of the vehicle,
- prevented the useful operation of the vehicle, either temporarily or permanently, or
- intentionally interfered with or prevented the operation of the vehicle.
Punishment for a Virginia Tampering with Vehicle Charge
A Virginia tampering with vehicle charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punished with up to 12 months in jail, a fine up to $2500, or both. The offender may also have to pay restitution to the property owner to cover the repair or replacement of the part or parts of the vehicle damaged, or the replacement value of the car itself if it is totaled.
The Statute
Va. Code §18.2-146 states that: