questions & answers

Question: My girlfriend of 23 years who has two boys from a previous age 33 & 26 and & our kids for years I worked and gave her my checks and she payed the bills,over the years we accomplished a lot, two homes& a 1bedroom apartment, recently I came home from work one day and she had moved out, leaving me with all bills and house payments.also she hadn't payed anything for 5 months,she had also signed the title to my car putting it in her name, can I press charges ?

Answer: The Arizona criminal code can be found in title 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. Theft is a criminal act and should be reported to the police. What constitutes a theft will vary on the facts of the case however. Under Arizona Revised Statute §13-1802 a person commits theft when he or she knowingly and without legal permission does either of the following:
“1. Controls property of another with the intent to deprive the other person of such property; or
2. Converts for an unauthorized term or use services or property of another entrusted to the defendant or placed in the defendant's possession for a limited, authorized term or use; or
3. Obtains services or property of another by means of any material misrepresentation with intent to deprive the other person of such property or services; or
4. Comes into control of lost, mislaid or misdelivered property of another under circumstances providing means of inquiry as to the true owner and appropriates such property to the person's own or another's use without reasonable efforts to notify the true owner; or
5. Controls property of another knowing or having reason to know that the property was stolen; or
6. Obtains services known to the defendant to be available only for compensation without paying or an agreement to pay the compensation or diverts another's services to the person's own or another's benefit without authority to do so; or
7. Controls the ferrous metal or nonferrous metal of another with the intent to deprive the other person of the metal; or
8. Controls the ferrous metal or nonferrous metal of another knowing or having reason to know that the metal was stolen; or
9. Purchases within the scope of the ordinary course of business the ferrous metal or nonferrous metal of another person knowing that the metal was stolen.”

Under §13-1803 it is also a crime for a person to unlawfully use means of transportation. A person unlawfully uses means of transportation when:
“1. Knowingly takes unauthorized control over another person's means of transportation.
2. Knowingly is transported or physically located in a vehicle that the person knows or has reason to know is in the unlawful possession of another person pursuant to paragraph 1 or section 13-1814.”

Under Arizona Revised Statute §13-2002 Forgery is stated as the following:
“A. A person commits forgery if, with intent to defraud, the person:
1. Falsely makes, completes or alters a written instrument; or
2. Knowingly possesses a forged instrument; or
3. Offers or presents, whether accepted or not, a forged instrument or one that contains false information.”

You can call the police to press charges if you feel a crime has been committed.