Misdemeanor Defense

Leaving the scene of a collision involving property damage in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a crime. The criminal offense is tried as a misdemeanor in Tulsa and falls under Oklahoma hit and run laws. The penalties, if convicted for this crime, are determined by what was damaged in the collision.

If you hit a thing, place, or another vehicle in Tulsa, you are expected to remain at the scene of the collision or as close as possible until the accident is reported. However, you must not stay at the scene in a way that obstructs the flow of traffic. Also, you are expected to disclose your personal information accurately when reporting the accident. Okla. Stat. tit. 47 § 10-103

What Happens If You Hit An Unoccupied Vehicle?

Oklahoma hit and run laws expect you to stop if you hit an unoccupied vehicle or any other property. The hit and run laws state that you should make a report to the police soon after the accident.

If the operator or owner of the damaged vehicle or property is unaware of the collision, you must make reasonable efforts to inform them. You should submit your name, address, registration number, and license and insurance information to the owner of the damaged vehicle or property.

If you are not able to locate the owner of the vehicle or property damaged in the collision, you are expected to leave your details at a conspicuous place where they will find it.

Penalties For Leaving The Scene Of A Collision Involving Property Damage In Tulsa

If convicted for leaving the scene of a collision involving property damage in Tulsa, you could spend up to a year in jail, pay a fine of up to $500, or both.

Additionally, a defendant convicted under these laws may be expected to pay restitution to the owner of the property damaged equivalent to three times the value of the damage. Okla. Stat. tit. 47 § 10-103

Initial Consultation: Tulsa Criminal Attorney

When you are facing charges of any kind, it is always better to do it with the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney. Options are available to you. Call for a low-cost initial strategy session with an experienced Tulsa criminal attorney to discuss your available legal options.

Call the Tulsa Criminal Defense Law Firm at 918-756-9600.

If you prefer, you can use the box in the upper right-hand corner of this page to send a question or brief message.

Interference with an emergency call, even for what may seem like a valid reason, is a crime in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For instance, in the heat of a domestic argument, you could throw something at someone or against the wall. A person in your household may decide to call 911, even though the domestic quarrel has not escalated.

A typical parent would get quite angry if the person making the call happens to be his or her teenage child. In such circumstances, it is very easy for the parent to grab the phone from the teenager and harshly scold them for what appears to be a malicious action.

However, interfering with an emergency call, even if it is made out of malice, could lead to misdemeanor charges. Do not attempt to stop a person who is in the process of making an emergency call, whatever their reason.

Other Scenarios When An Emergency Call Is Interfered With

Usually, emergency calls are made when help is urgently needed, such as after an accident or a case of violence. A drunken driver may try to stop an emergency call from being made, probably because they want to flee.

A person who has injured another may attempt to prevent an emergency call from being made to cover up for their crime.

Oklahoma laws define interfering with an emergency call as intentionally and willfully impeding, interfering, or interrupting someone who is in the process of making an emergency call. Okla. Stat. 21 § 1211.1

Penalties For Interference With An Emergency Call In Tulsa

Interference with an emergency call in Tulsa is a misdemeanor. The penalty is up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $3,000, or both.

Do not let the legal expertise of the prosecution determine your case. Obtain legal counsel to significantly improve getting a favorable outcome in your case. An experienced Tulsa criminal attorney can advise you on possible defenses.

You do not have to cooperate with police and prosecutors in the absence of your lawyer, as the other side works mainly to build a case against you.

Initial Consultation: Tulsa Misdemeanor Defense Lawyer

When you are facing charges of any kind, it is always better to do it with the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney. Options are available to you. Call for a low-cost initial strategy session with an experienced Tulsa misdemeanor defense lawyer to discuss your available legal options.

Call the Tulsa Criminal Defense Law Firm at 918-756-9600.

If you prefer, you can use the box in the upper right-hand corner of this page to send a question or brief message.

Obstructing a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a serious crime. The law forbids preventing police officers from discharging their duties by refusing to cooperate with them or by delaying them.

Any actions that frustrate law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties are punished harshly. However, a person can record a law enforcement officer as they goes about their work.

Resisting arrest, lying to a law enforcement officer, and hiding evidence can all constitute obstruction.

Facts About Obstructing a Police Officer in Tulsa

Here are three essential things to know about obstructing a law enforcement officer while he or she is in the performance of his or her duties.

1. The state of Oklahoma gives law enforcement officers wide berth in discharging their duties. A person who delays a law enforcement officer or obstructs them in the performance of their duties could be found guilty under this statute. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 540

The law is broadly written and covers all activities that interfere with an officer’s ability to make an arrest or investigate a crime.

2. The prosecution must prove the following elements for a defendant to be found guilty of obstruction of a police officer in the performance of his or her duties.

The defendant must be found to have:

• willfully
• delayed or obstructed a public officer
• known to the defendant to be a public officer
• in the discharge of any duties of his or her office.

The defendant need not have used physical force to be found guilty of this crime.

3. Obstructing an officer is a misdemeanor in Tulsa.

The statute that describes this crime does not specify the penalties if a defendant gets convicted. Hence, general sentence limits are applied. Thus, a defendant convicted of obstructing an officer faces up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.

Possible Defenses

The prosecution must prove all the elements of this crime to obtain a conviction. One element the prosecution must prove is that the obstruction was intentional. If the delay or interference can be shown to have been accidental, then there could be an acquittal.

Another element that the prosecution must prove is that the officer was obstructed when performing his or her official duties. If the defendant can show that the officer was off duty, the case against him or her could be thrown out.

Are you facing charges for obstructing a police officer? Get the help of an experienced Tulsa criminal attorney immediately. Our lawyers are experienced and can stand up for you to improve your chances of getting a favorable outcome in your case.

Do not cut a deal with the prosecution before you talk to your lawyer. Law enforcement works to have a solid case against you. Let our lawyers help you retain your freedom. Getting sent to prison reflects poorly on your record and could severely dent your image when you leave jail. Don’t take chances and face the strict Oklahoma authorities alone.

Initial Consultation: Tulsa Misdemeanor Defense Lawyer

When you are facing charges of any kind, it is always better to do it with the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney. Options are available to you. Call for a low-cost initial strategy session with an experienced to discuss your available legal options.

Call the Tulsa Criminal Defense Law Firm at 918-756-9600.

If you prefer, you can use the box in the upper right-hand corner of this page to send a question or brief message.

Peeping Tom Charges Can Mean Serious Trouble in Tulsa

When we think of Peeping Toms, we think of voyeurism. The term ostensibly came about when Peeping Tom spied on Lady Godiva as she rode naked through the streets of Coventry in protest over high taxes.

It is a cute name, but being a Peeping Tom is a crime in Oklahoma. It is voyeurism. In Oklahoma, a Peeping Tom is defined as a person who hides, waits, or loiters near a person’s home, restroom, dressing room, or in any other place in which a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, with the express and unlawful intent of watching or looking at that person in a clandestine manner. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 1171

This is classic voyeurism — getting sexual gratification from watching another person’s private activities.

Misdemeanor or Felony? It Depends

Peeping Tom charges often are treated as a misdemeanor in Oklahoma. A neighbor using binoculars to watch another neighbor undress, or a person watching neighbors having sex through their window or the like, are classic scenarios leading to a misdemeanor charge. If convicted, a defendant can face up to one year in county jail, or a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

But Peeping Tom charges can rise to the level of a felony under the right circumstances.

As soon as a person uses photographic, electronic or video equipment as part of their viewing — for any illegal, illegitimate, prurient, lewd or lascivious purpose — the matter is treated as a felony. Likewise, anyone who publishes or distributes any image obtained from such an act will be charged with a felony.

Recording makes the damage to the victim much more pronounced. With the advent of the internet, it has become a simple task to upload contents that can forever change someone’s private life. If convicted, a defendant could serve up to five years in prison, pay a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Here are the elements of the crime:

• hiding, waiting, or loitering;
• near a private dwelling house, apartment building, residence, locker, dressing room, restroom, or any other place in which a person has a right to a reasonable expectation of privacy;
• with the unlawful and willful intent;
• to watch, gaze, or look upon any person;
• in a clandestine manner.

OUJI-CR 4-136

If any of these elements are missing, you have a viable defense to the crime. Talk to an experienced Tulsa criminal law defense attorney to see what facts in your case will help you build a strong defense.

Sexual Offender Registry May Be Mandated

If convicted, you could be required to register with the sexual offender registry. For many offenders, this can be the most difficult part of a conviction.

Initial Consultation: Tulsa Criminal Defense Lawyer

Don’t wait. Get the help you need. Call us today at the Tulsa Criminal Defense Law Firm at 918-256-3400 for a no-hassle, confidential consultation.

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