Burglary Attorney in Torrance

Defending Torrance Clients Against Burglary Charges Since 1997

A burglary charge in Torrance carries consequences that extend far beyond the courtroom. A conviction can mean state prison, a permanent felony record, and doors closing on employment, housing, and professional licenses for years to come. At Rollins Law Group, we’ve defended clients across the Los Angeles area since 1997, and we know what it takes to build a defense that holds up at the Torrance Courthouse.

Attorney Kendric Rollins handles criminal defense and nothing else. When you retain our firm, he’s the one who appears in court for you. That direct accountability, combined with more than 26 years of focused criminal defense experience, is what sets us apart in the South Bay legal market.

How California Law Defines Burglary

California Penal Code 459 defines burglary as entering a structure with the intent to commit a theft or felony inside. The intended crime doesn’t have to be completed for the charge to apply. What matters is what the prosecution can prove about your state of mind at the moment you entered.

The law draws a sharp line between two degrees of the offense:

• First-Degree Residential Burglary: Entering an inhabited dwelling, such as a house or occupied apartment. This is always a felony and counts as a strike under California’s Three Strikes Law.
• Second-Degree Commercial Burglary: Entering any non-residential structure, such as a store, office, or warehouse. This is a wobbler, meaning it can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor depending on the circumstances.

Torrance burglary cases are prosecuted in the Los Angeles County Superior Court Southwest District, commonly called the Torrance Courthouse. Our familiarity with the judges, prosecutors, and procedures there matters when it comes to how your case moves through the system.

Penalties for a Burglary Conviction in California

The sentencing ranges for burglary reflect how seriously California treats these charges. First-degree felony burglary carries two, four, or six years in state prison. Because it counts as a strike, any future felony conviction can dramatically increase that exposure under the Three Strikes Law.

Second-degree burglary penalties depend on how it’s charged:

• Felony Second-Degree: 16 months, two years, or three years in state prison, plus fines up to $10,000
• Misdemeanor Second-Degree: Up to one year in county jail and fines up to $1,000

Beyond incarceration, a conviction can affect professional licenses, trigger adverse background checks, and create immigration consequences for non-citizens, including potential deportation. These collateral consequences are part of what’s at stake from the first day of your case.

Defense Strategies for Burglary Charges

Every burglary case turns on its own facts, and the right defense depends on what the prosecution’s evidence actually shows. Several approaches have proven effective in cases like these:

• Lack of Intent: If you didn’t form the intent to commit a theft or felony before entering, the prosecution can’t satisfy the core elements of PC 459. Intent formed after entry doesn’t meet the standard.
• Mistaken Identity: Alibi evidence, including witness accounts and digital location data, can establish that you weren’t the person who entered the structure.
• Consent: When the property owner gave permission to enter, a disputed or retracted account of that permission can undermine the prosecution’s case.
• Suppression of Evidence: If the search or arrest that produced key evidence was unlawful, we can move to suppress it. Removing that evidence from the case may lead to a reduction or dismissal of charges.
• Charge Reduction: Second-degree felony charges may be negotiable to a misdemeanor when the property value involved is under $950 and the specific facts support that outcome.

Our firm has a documented result of charges reduced in a burglary matter. We can’t promise a specific outcome in your case, but we build every defense with the goal of reaching the best result the facts allow.

Why Torrance Residents Facing Burglary Charges Work with Us

Criminal defense is all we do. We don’t divide our attention between personal injury cases, family law, or estate planning. That singular focus means every strategy we develop reflects experience built in the criminal courts.

Direct Representation by Kendric Rollins
Kendric Rollins grew up in the Los Angeles area and has spent his career building relationships within the local legal community, including with prosecutors and court personnel at the Torrance Courthouse. When you retain our firm, he’s the attorney who goes to court for you. There’s no handoff to a staff attorney you haven’t met.

Multilingual Service and Accessible Fees
Torrance is a diverse community, and we reflect that. Our firm serves Spanish-speaking clients directly and provides interpreters for other languages so clients understand what’s happening in their case. Our fees are reasonable, and we return phone calls promptly throughout the representation.