Understanding Criminal Damage to Property Charges

 Posted on March 06, 2025 in Criminal Defense

Vandalizing another party’s property or interfering with the use of another party’s premises can get you into serious legal trouble in Illinois. You could even be charged with a felony for criminal damage to property if you cause more than $500 worth of damage. Illinois’s criminal damage to property statute covers acts of vandalism, like smashing a window or destroying the victim’s outdoor decorations. However, it also covers actions designed to interfere with the owner’s use of his property, such as throwing a stink bomb into someone’s home or place of business. While a lot of people see causing damage to property as a relatively harmless youthful misbehavior, a criminal damage to property charge can come with serious repercussions. You need an experienced Joliet, IL property crimes lawyer to help you fight back if you are facing criminal damage charges. Even if you are only facing misdemeanor charges, this type of conviction can have a lasting impact.

What is Criminal Damage to Property? 

Criminal damage to property is exactly what it sounds like. Destroying or defacing property that does not belong to you without the owner’s consent normally falls under Illinois’s criminal damage statute. You might be charged with this offense if you: 

 Damage property - Destroying or causing damage to another person’s property is the most common form of this offense. This type of vandalism is often carried out by teenagers and young adults or by people who are involved in a protest.

• Injure a pet - Courts take this form of the offense extremely seriously. People who are charged with criminal damage to property for harming another person’s pet often also face animal abuse charges. 
• Start a fire - Knowingly starting a fire on someone else’s property without permission or recklessly damaging another person’s property with fire or explosives is punishable under criminal damage laws. You are likely to face felony charges if the fire spreads and causes serious damage to a structure. You may also be charged with arson. 
• Use a stink bomb - Using a stink bomb or another device intended to create a foul or unwelcome odor on another person’s property with the intention of interfering with the owner’s use of the property is a crime. This part of the law addresses "pranks" such as placing a zip-tie on a can of air freshener so that it will spray continuously and tossing it into another person’s home. 

Contact a Joliet, IL Defense Attorney 

McNamara Phelan McSteen, LLC understands how what seems like a harmless prank can lead to disproportionate consequences. Our experienced Joliet, IL criminal defense attorneys will help you address your charges and move on with your life. Contact us at 815-727-0100 for a complimentary consultation.