What is a Misdemeanors in Missouri?
Contents
Misdemeanors are less serious in terms of punishment and crime severity. A misdemeanor is a “lesser criminal offense” in the United States, including Missouri, which is more serious than an infraction but not as severe as a felony. In contrast to felonies, a Missouri misdemeanor is subject to a fine and/or up to one year in county jail.
Missouri Class A Misdemeanor
Class A misdemeanors are the most serious misdemeanors and include charges of fraud, bad checks under $500, fraudulent use of a credit card device with a value of less than $150, and third-degree assault. Class A misdemeanors carry a penalty of up to one year in a county jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
Class B Misdemeanor
Class B misdemeanors carry penalties of up to six months in county jail or as little as thirty days in county jail, with or without a fine of up to $500. Class B misdemeanors include driving while intoxicated for the first time, driving under the influence for the first time, and first-degree trespassing.
Missouri Class C Misdemeanor
The Class C Misdemeanor is the final category in the misdemeanor classifications. This category is punishable by up to fifteen days in county jail, as well as a fine of up to $300. Class C misdemeanors include the first offense of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Infractions are the lowest punishable crime under Missouri law and carry no imprisonment penalties, only fines of no more than $200.
Missouri Criminal Categories
Missouri Criminal Law categorizes criminal offenses into ranked groups. Missouri felonies are classified as Class A, B, C, or D, and include Capital Offenses. Misdemeanors are classified as Class A, B, or C. Without ranking, infractions form their own category.
Class A felonies carry the death penalty as the maximum penalty, with life in prison as the longest possible sentence. Prison sentences ranging from ten to thirty years in a state prison are also possible for this felony. This category includes extremely serious crimes such as first-degree robbery and second-degree murder. Class B felonies carry a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison and a minimum sentence of five years. Second-degree robbery, voluntary manslaughter, first-degree burglary, and other crimes fall into this category. Involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, and stealing items worth between $500 and $2500 are examples of Class C felonies. This felony is punishable by imprisonment for up to seven years, as well as a $5,000 fine. The final felony category is the Class D Felony, which is punishable by up to four years in a state prison with or without a $5,000 fine. This fine may also be twice the amount of the individual’s gain, not to exceed $20,000.00. Fraud, various forms of fraud, and bad checks are among the charges.
Expungement in Missouri
The legal erasure of previous criminal records is known as expungement. Expungement in Missouri is possible for deserving individuals who meet the eligibility requirements. Only those who were arrested but found to have no probable cause, who were not charged with the arrest, who did not receive a suspended misdemeanor or felony conviction, and who do not have any pending civil actions against them may apply for expungement in Missouri.
