Criminal Defense Attorney Louisiana Crowley

Louisiana doesn’t treat every theft the same way: La. R.S. 14:67 scales the charge directly to the value taken, from a misdemeanor under $1,000 up through a felony that can reach 20 years at hard labor once the value reaches $25,000, with three separate felony tiers in between depending on exactly how much is alleged. Battery charges in Louisiana vary sharply by statute: simple battery (La. R.S. 14:35) caps out at 6 months and a $1,000 fine, aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon (La. R.S. 14:34) can reach 10 years and $5,000, and domestic abuse battery (La. R.S. 14:35.3) carries mandatory jail time starting with the first offense, with penalties escalating to 10 to 30 years by a fourth conviction, plus a separate, harsher enhancement if strangulation was involved. Not every drug possession charge in Louisiana carries the same weight: under La. R.S. 40:966(E), possessing 14 grams or less of marijuana is only a fine, capped at $100, with no jail exposure at all regardless of how many prior offenses you have. Other Schedule I substances are a different story entirely, carrying up to 10 years at hard labor and a $5,000 fine under the same statute’s general possession provisions. OWI, Louisiana’s own term for what other states call DUI or DWI, escalates quickly under La. R.S. 14:98: a first offense within a 10-year lookback is a misdemeanor (10 days to 6 months, up to $1,000), a second is still a misdemeanor but with mandatory minimum jail or community service if probation is granted, and a third becomes a felony (1 to 5 years, $2,000). A fourth or subsequent offense can mean 10 to 30 years and a $5,000 fine, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15% or higher adding mandatory enhancements at any offense level. A weapons charge under La. R.S. 14:95 (illegal carrying of weapons) looks different than it did before 2024: since Louisiana adopted permitless concealed carry that year, most adults 18 or older who are legally allowed to own a firearm can carry one concealed without a permit, so a charge today usually turns on being underage, being barred from possessing a firearm at all, carrying in a restricted location, or failing to notify an officer of a concealed weapon during a stop. A first offense tops out at 6 months and a $500 fine, a second conviction can reach 5 years, a third up to 10 years, and using a firearm while committing a separate violent or drug crime adds its own 5-to-10-year mandatory enhancement. A burglary or robbery charge in Louisiana carries real long-term exposure. Under La. R.S. 14:62, simple burglary (entering a home, vehicle, or other structure without authorization to commit a felony or theft) is punishable by up to 12 years at hard labor and a $2,000 fine, and carrying a firearm during the burglary pushes the minimum sentence to 3 years. Armed robbery under La. R.S. 14:64 goes much further: taking property by force or intimidation while armed with a dangerous weapon carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years at hard labor, up to 99 years, and the law forbids parole, probation, or a suspended sentence regardless of the circumstances.