02-09-2010, 10:13 AM
Greg; I hope you were being sarcastic when you said..."it's not theft if the owner doesn't know about it." From the definition below, it appears that the owner's knowledge of the event is not a required element.
Is that like saying that if someone has been murdered, they are not dead until the body has been discovered?
theft n. the generic term for all crimes in which a person intentionally and fraudulently takes personal property of another without permission or consent and with the intent to convert it to the taker's use (including potential sale). In many states, if the value of the property taken is low (for example, less than $500) the crime is "petty theft," but it is "grand theft" for larger amounts, designated misdemeanor, or felony, respectively.
Actually, I would think that in cutting down a tree in order to steal the fruit, there would be theft (of the fruit) and criminal damage (cutting down the tree)
Is that like saying that if someone has been murdered, they are not dead until the body has been discovered?
theft n. the generic term for all crimes in which a person intentionally and fraudulently takes personal property of another without permission or consent and with the intent to convert it to the taker's use (including potential sale). In many states, if the value of the property taken is low (for example, less than $500) the crime is "petty theft," but it is "grand theft" for larger amounts, designated misdemeanor, or felony, respectively.
Actually, I would think that in cutting down a tree in order to steal the fruit, there would be theft (of the fruit) and criminal damage (cutting down the tree)