People can easily make mistakes. People can forget things, mistake peoples' identities and even mistake locations. When this happens, embarrassment might follow, but generally long-term consequences are kept to a minimum. However, when criminal conduct is included in a mistake, the outcome can be very different.
One Oregon State baseball player is learning this the hard way. According to police, the left-handed pitcher Ben Wetzler was arrested and charged with misdemeanors following an apparent mistake on his part. Police claim that Wetzler was intoxicated when he tried to break into the window of his own home. The problem was that Wetzler wasn't at his own home, but was at someone else's.
As a result of this mix-up, Wetzler has been charged with second degree criminal mischief and first degree criminal trespass. These are both misdemeanor charges in Oregon. He will need to be in court in early June to face criminal proceedings over this mistake.
While mistakes, like this one, seem easy enough to make, they will have real life consequences. Those facing misdemeanor charges can be sentenced to up to one year in jail, to large fines, probation and more. People can face social consequences and job loss. In this case, there is no word on how the charges will affect Wetzler's place with the Beavers.
In order to minimize the consequences of an arrest on misdemeanor charges, people need to understand the exact charges against them. In each case, a prosecutor will need to prove a certain set of elements beyond a reasonable doubt for a person to be found guilty. With a complete knowledge of the charges, people can present evidence that these elements were not met and therefore they are not guilty.
Source: KTVZ, "Beavers' ace Wetzler faces 2 misdemeanors," May 12, 2014
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