Pranks and practical jokes are funny – until someone has to go to jail. Unfortunately, this is the reality for some individuals who do things that deface someone else's property. It is important to avoid any activities that might lead to vandalism charges.

There are many aspects of these charges that must be considered when you are trying to figure out if something is going to run afoul of the law. All of these can have an impact on whether you will face criminal charges.

Does vandalism always destroy property?

Having a criminal defense lawyer by your side during your drug crime proceedings is essential. However, for those who have never been through a criminal litigation process, they may not understand how much a lawyer can help. They might even make the mistake of trying to defend themselves pro se, i.e., navigate their legal proceedings without legal representation. When it comes to a drug-related trial, a pro se defendant might find him or herself unintentionally digging into a deeper and deeper hole.

If you're on the fence about hiring a lawyer in your case, you might want to consider some of the potential benefits of contacting a criminal defense attorney:

Reduction of criminal charges

We all make mistakes, but not all of us make profound and positive contributions to our communities. But what happens if you make lots of big mistakes and lots of big contributions to the community? Perhaps, community leaders will come to your aid and support you by speaking in favor of your good name and past good works.

Normally, when someone gets arrested on a sixth offense DUI charge, the person is described by news media and public officials as if he or she were the dirge of the community. However, that's not what happened in the case of a 56-year-old bar owner who was arrested and later convicted of a sixth operating while intoxicated charge in August.

Officers said that they received reports of the drunk man trying to get into his truck at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 11. When police arrived, they found him urinating on his feet and on the ground, and they told him not to drive. Next, police saw the man get in his truck and drive away, so they pulled him over and arrested him on intoxicated driving charges after he failed his Breathalyzer and field sobriety tests. He pleaded "no contest" in court and accepted the felony sixth OWI offense conviction.

Police arrested two men in Madison, Wisconsin last week on drug and weapons-related charges. Allegedly, the apprehended men were associated with a north Madison home, where authorities seized thousands of dollars of cash, narcotics and firearms.

The arrests happened in the wake of a long-term drug investigation that resulted in three searches of two north Madison residences and a storage locker last Tuesday. Police claim that they seized cocaine, heroin, $12,500 in cash and five guns as a result of their searches. Allegedly, the guns that police found during the search included an AR-15, an SKS 7.62 rifle, two .44-caliber handguns and a .22-caliber assault rifle.

The men were not in either of the residences at the time of the search and seizure operations. However, police later found the men and arrested them after chasing each on foot. The arrested men included a 38-year-old man from Madison and a 34-year-old man from Chicago. The 38-year-old was charged with cocaine delivery, heroin delivery and resisting arrest. The 34-year-old was charged with party to the crime of heroin delivery and resisting arrest.

In the state of Wisconsin, if you're a gun owner, it's important that you understand the legal distinction between various terms, like "carry" and "possession," for example. Understanding the meaning of these and other gun law terminology is important for deciding whether a particular defendant has broken Wisconsin gun laws.

Here are some important terms you should know:

Carry: The terms "carry" and "carrying" in the context of firearms in Wisconsin means "to go armed with," which -- in turn -- means that the firearm is on the person's body, being carried by the person or within his or her reach. It also means that the person is aware that the firearm is there.