Memphis Woman Charged With Arson
A twenty three year old Memphis woman is facing arson charges after allegedly starting a fire that burned a home she had previously occupied.
Ashley Sykes is accused of setting fire to a home at 843 Semmes early in the morning. Sykes had been evicted from the same home on December 1st for not paying rent. Once evicted, the suspect was apparently not happy.
According to the Commercial Appeal, there are witnesses who state Sykes threatened the arson in order to keep anyone else from living in the home. The investigation after the blaze showed it had been intentionally set. The report also states that firefighters found the front door blocked when they arrived to fight the fire.
More than likely, the charge Sykes will face is a Class C felony. This could result in her serving 3 to 15 years in prison. However, if anyone was present in the home when it occurred or if a firefighter was injured in the blaze, she could be charged with aggravated arson, a Class A felony.
Arson charges are very serious. Some people fail to realize that crimes against property can be sentenced just as severely as crimes against people. It all depends on the circumstances of the situation.
A less serious charge but one we see more frequently than arson is vandalism. You can be charged with vandalism for causing damage to someone else’s property. Interestingly, this charge is considered a theft crime and is penalized according to the value of the damage.
For instance, if you deliberately smash someone’s windshield and it costs less than $500 to repair or replace, you could face Class A misdemeanor charges. However, if you take a bat to their car and repeatedly dent and smash it, causing over $1,000 in damage, your charge can be elevated to a Class D felony.
Property crimes that don’t involve theft are often motivated by anger or retribution. It is important when facing charges like these that we look at your motivations as I am confident that the prosecutor will.
Call me to discuss the details of your case. If you are facing jail time for a property crime, you need the assistance of an aggressive defense attorney.
