Question

A felon planned to break into the rental storage unit next to his that contained valuable electronic equipment. He went to a hardware store to purchase a crowbar. The proprietor sold him the crowbar even though he told her that he needed it to break into someone's storage unit. After the purchase, the felon went to the storage facility with his friend. The felon told the friend that he had lost the key to his storage unit and did not have time to contact the facility's manager, so they needed to break into the unit to get his equipment. Because the felon had a bad back, the friend pried open the door with the crowbar and carried the equipment out to the car. A silent alarm was triggered and the pair were apprehended shortly after leaving the facility. Can the proprietor and the friend be convicted as accomplices to larceny

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes.

The proprietor and the friend were accessories to the crime.  They could have prevented it, but they did nothing.  The friend even participated actively in the robbery.

Explanation:

In criminal law, an accessory to a crime refers to a person who knowingly and voluntarily participates in the commission of a crime, for example, breaking rental storage. They can be categorized as before the crime (the proprietor who sold the crossbar) or after the commission of the crime (the friend that facilitated the robbery).  Accessories to a crime need not be actually present at the scene of the robbery to be held liable for this crime.