Theft of Services (1st Degree) is charged when services are obtained by avoiding payment and the value exceeds $2500. What is the correct offense designation?

• A. Theft of Services (2nd Degree), felony class C
• B. Theft of Property (1st Degree), felony class B
• C. Theft of Services (1st Degree), felony class B
• D. Theft of Lost Property (1st Degree), felony class B

Answer: (C)

This question hinges on how theft offenses are categorized by type and by value to determine degree. Theft of services applies when someone obtains a service by avoiding payment, rather than taking tangible property. Because the value is over $2500, this falls into the first-degree category, which in this jurisdiction is designated as Theft of Services (1st Degree), felony class B. The other options don’t fit for reasons tied to the offense type or the value threshold: taking a service without paying is not theft of property, and the value exceeding $2500 does not place it in second degree. An example helps: using a service valued at $3,000 without paying points to theft of services in the first degree, not theft of property.