Robbery is considered a violent crime in Missouri. Accordingly, you could end up facing some serious penalties if convicted of any charges. Today, we will take a look at robbery laws in the state.

First, robbery is very distinctly different from theft, which simply involves taking someone else’s property. Robbery involves threatening or intimidating someone until they hand over the item that you are intending to steal from them. Because of this use of force, robbery is considered a more severe offense than theft, despite both being severe crimes.

In this state, there is robbery in the first degree and robbery in the second degree. What a person is charged with depends on the amount of force used. In other states, robbery in the first degree is what’s known as aggravated robbery. For example, this involves pulling a knife or gun out and threatening a clerk at a bank. Robbery in the first degree may also involve the severe injury of the victim in question. By comparison, robbery in the second degree does not involve the use of weaponry. If the victim is injured, then the injures are not serious.

Robbery in the first degree is classified as a Class A felony, while robbery in the second degree is considered a Class B felony. Both are potentially punishable by years in prison, ranging from 10-30 years for a Class A and 5-15 for a Class B. If you are looking into more information about violent crimes and how they are handled in Missouri, consider taking a look at our web page on criminal defense.