Criminal Defense Attorney Salt Lake City | Robbery Charges

The criminal defense lawyers at Arnold, Wadsworth & Coggins offer a free consultation to people facing Robbery Charges, or any other criminal charges in the State of Utah. With offices in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, the Robbery Defense attorneys at our firm can give you an honest professional opinion and direction about your case. Below is an explanation of a recent Utah Court of Appeals case that involved a Robbery conviction under Utah Law.

Robbery Defense Lawyer | Salt Lake City, Utah

This case is titled State v. Ring. The Defendant in this case is first arguing that there is insufficient evidence to convict him of the crime of Robbery in the State of Utah. The standard for an insufficiency of evidence is as follows as defined by the Utah Court of Appeals:

“When evaluating a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, appellate courts “review the evidence and all inferences which may reasonably be drawn from it in the light most favorable to the verdict of the jury.” State v. Shumway, 2002 UT 124, ¶ 15, 63 P.3d 94. “So long as there is some evidence, including reasonable inferences, from which findings of all the requisite elements of the crime can reasonably be made, our inquiry stops.” State v. Boyd, 2001 UT 30, ¶ 16, 25 P.3d 985. Generally, an appellate court “may not reassess credibility or reweigh the evidence, but must resolve conflicts in the evidence in favor of the jury verdict.” State v. Workman, 852 P.2d 981, 984 (Utah 1993).”

State v. Ring, 2013 UT App 98

The facts in this case included the Defendant punching the victim and then taking her cell phone. After taking her cell phone, the Defendant tried to flee the store and was caught by two passers-by. These people were acting as good Samaritans to stop the Defendant. The Defendant tried to argue that he was not trying to permanently deprive the victim of her cell phone and that his only intent was to try to stop her from calling the police. The Utah Appellate court was not convinced and upheld his conviction looking at his actions as they relate to the Utah Statute for Robbery.

Robbery under Utah Statute is defined as follows:
(1) A person commits robbery if:
(a) the person unlawfully and intentionally takes or attempts to take personal property in the possession of another from his person, or immediate presence, against his will, by means of force or fear, and with a purpose or intent to deprive the person permanently or temporarily of the personal property; or
(b) the person intentionally or knowingly uses force or fear of immediate force against another in the course of committing a theft or wrongful appropriation.

Utah Code Ann. § 76-6-301 (West)

If you are facing similar charges you need the help of a criminal defense lawyer. Call Arnold, Wadsworth & Coggins Attorneys today for a free consultation.