What will happen to me if my neighbor was being noisy so I threw a rock at their house but accidentally broke a window?
Question Details: I live behind the house in question. The occupants were being disruptive to the neighborhood. They were doing a bunch of nonsense last night so I actually threw a rock at their house which is behind mine waiting to hear a thud but it broke a window. Later that night, the cops started pounding on my door but I didn't answer. Today I saw a patrol car down the street waiting for me so I returned to my house. I am able to go elsewhere to live as the house is in the family but I was wondering what the statute of limitations of this was and how long they are able to go until they cannot question or prosecute me for the window breaking? It is easy for me to live in another state and was considering it even before this.
Depending on the amount of damage that you caused, the statute of limitations will be either one or two years. Two years is the highest statute of limitations for a misdemeanor. Based on what you have described, this can't be more than a misdemeanor-- unless you broke out an antique window that was worth a significant sum of money. As long as the officers are within the statute of limitations, they can continue investigating the case, which includes asking to speak with you.
It sounds like you had a lapse in judgment, threw a rock, and committed a misdemeanor vandalism charge. You may be stressing a bit more than you need to. Consider hiring an attorney to help broker a simple deal-- like paying restitution for a dismissal. Do this through a defense attorney so that you personally do not have to make statements to law enforcement. It might cost you a bit, but it will be a relatively low price to pay for the peace of mind of knowing this is behind you.
