Charged with Making Criminal Threats Oklahoma? What to Know

Words really can harm, especially if you are accused of making criminal threats Oklahoma. Simply threatening or planning violence in Muskogee is a serious criminal matter.

What are Criminal Threats Oklahoma?

In Oklahoma, it is sufficient to attempt, conspire, or endeavor to perform a violent act to land you in jail. The law states that anyone who attempts, conspires, or endeavors to cause someone else grave bodily injury or death is guilty of a felony. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 1378

Likewise, anyone who devises any plan to cause serious bodily harm or death of another person with the intent to doing so, whether alone or by conspiring with others, may be found guilty of this crime.

Action in furtherance of the plan is not required for the commission of this felony. The planning is the action.

This crime is rooted in the gravity of the intent to cause someone serious bodily injury or death. The action that is being planned must be rooted in that intent. If the intended injury is minor, it will not be sufficient to be found guilty.

Thus, the prosecution carries the burden of proving that the intent here was to cause serious bodily injury or death in order to secure a conviction. This will depend upon the facts of each case. In either case, making criminal threats Oklahoma is not treated lightly.

Penalties

The threat of violence involving or intending to cause serious bodily harm or death is considered a misdemeanor in Oklahoma. This crime is punishable by a jail term of up to six months.

However, planning to commit a violent act could land you in prison for up to 10 years.

The difference between threatening a violent act and planning a violent act in Oklahoma may feel like splitting hairs, but the difference could be quite important in terms of the penalties you could face if convicted.