• Cars stolen in Ohio are prosecuted under theft laws.multi-coloured cars image by Ivan Hafizov from Fotolia.com
  
  Ohio clubs and fraternal organizations were hit hard in 2009 by thieves who were on the lookout for opportunities to strike, according to Attorney General Richard Cordray. The state investigated a rash of theft complaints across Ohio, which, Cordray said, occurred at businesses that carry vast amounts of cash on premise because of fundraising. Cordray said the targeted entities and others can thwart the thieves by making regular bank deposits, installing alarms and video cameras and ensuring that building exits and entrances are well lit. Cordray's recommendations and laws enacted by the state legislature in past years have kept theft down in the Buckeye State. In the 10 years between 1999 to 2008, theft decreased 8 percent, while the state's population increased 229,256 at that same time.
  
  

Theft Definition

• Ohio code defines theft as knowingly depriving another individual of property or services without the owner's consent. Theft can be obtained through threat, deception, intimidation or physically removing the property.
  
  

Theft Categories

• Theft can range from a misdemeanor to a felony depending on the item that was stolen and its value. The crime is petty theft, a first-degree misdemeanor, if the property or service stolen is valued below $500. It increases to a felony of the fifth degree if the item is between $500 and $5,000 or if the item stolen is a credit card, check, vehicle license plate or blank form for a vehicle title. For stolen items between $5,000 and $100,000, the charge is grand theft, a fourth-degree felony. Stolen items between $100,000 and $500,000 are classified as a third-degree felony. Lawmakers have defined two categories of aggravated theft. The defendant is charged with aggravated theft, a felony of the second degree, when the stolen item or service is worth more than $100,000 and less than $1 million. Aggravated theft is a first degree felony if the stolen property or services is worth more than $1 million dollars.
  
  

Gas Theft

• A defendant who leaves an Ohio gas station without paying for the gasoline that was placed into the vehicle will be charged with theft. The charge will vary depending on the amount of the fuel placed in the car. If convicted, the defendant may have his driver's license suspended for 6 months.
  
  

Stolen Firearms

• Any stolen firearm or dangerous ordnance is classified as grand theft, a third-degree felony. The state law recommends the court to impose a prison term for the offense. If there are other charges against the defendant, the firearms charge will be imposed as a consecutive sentence. If the firearms or ordnance were stolen from a federally licensed firearms dealer, the charge will be increased to a first-degree felony.
  
  

Vehicle Theft

• Theft of a car, truck, motorcycle or a motorized vehicle is grand theft, a felony of the fourth degree. Motor vehicles also include mobile homes and any recreational vehicle propelled by any power other than "muscular power or power collected from overhead electric trolley wires."
  
  

Stolen Drugs

• Ohio law prohibits the theft of any dangerous drug including those that must be dispensed by prescription or injected. The charge is a felony of the fourth degree unless the defendant has previously been convicted of a felony drug offense, which boosts the charge to a third-degree felony.
  
  

Police Animals

• It is illegal to steal any animal used by law enforcement officials in carrying out official duties. Theft of such an animal is a felony of the third degree.