A high-end gated community in Aventura (Miami-Dade County, Florida) is experiencing a large number of burglaries over the past year.
The crimes occurring within the community include residential burglaries, vehicle burglaries (conveyance), thefts (both grand thefts and petit thefts), and criminal mischief.
Burglary of a residence, known as burglary of a dwelling, can be classified as either “occupied” or “unoccupied.”
A burglary of a dwelling, whether occupied or unoccupied, is a second-degree felony carrying a maximum of 15 years in prison.
A burglary of a conveyance, if unoccupied, is a third-degree felony carrying a maximum of 5 years in prison. If the conveyance is occupied, the crime becomes a second-degree felony.
The degree of theft depends upon the value of the stolen items. Under $300 and the crime is petit theft, a misdemeanor. Over $300 and the crime is grand theft, a felony.
Criminal mischief can either be a felony or a misdemeanor depending on how much damage was done to the property.
Many of the burglaries and other criminal acts taking place in this Aventura community have been captured on security cameras. No word from the Aventura Police Department as to whether a suspect or suspects have been caught.
Eric Matheny is a Miami burglary lawyer and Broward burglary lawyer.