What Is Grand Larceny in Mississippi?
Grand larceny in Mississippi is a felony theft offense defined primarily by the value of the property taken. Under Mississippi law, larceny becomes “grand” when a person unlawfully takes and carries away someone else’s personal property **worth $1,000 or more** with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it. If the value is under that amount, the offense is usually charged as petit (or petty) larceny, which is a misdemeanor. The dollar threshold is what mainly separates these two theft categories.
The statute governing grand grand larceny mississippi is found in **Mississippi Code § 97-17-41**. Once the value of the stolen property reaches $1,000, prosecutors can bring felony charges, and the severity of punishment then increases according to higher value ranges. For example, theft of property valued between $1,000 and less than $5,000 is punishable by up to **5 years in prison** and fines up to **$10,000**. Higher-value thefts—such as $5,000, $25,000, or more—can carry penalties of up to **10 or even 20 years** in prison, depending on the bracket. The state allows the value of multiple stolen items in a single incident to be added together to determine whether the felony threshold is met.
Grand larceny does **not** require violence or force; it is distinct from robbery or burglary. Robbery involves theft by force or threat, while burglary involves unlawful entry with intent to commit a crime inside. Grand larceny is simply the intentional taking of high-value property, regardless of how the offender gained access to it.
A key element is **intent** — the prosecution must show the person meant to permanently deprive the owner of the property. If a person claims they believed the property was theirs or that they intended to return it, that could affect the case, though such claims must be credible.
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