Can I be charge with burglary of habitation for giving someone a ride?

Question

I recently gave smy friend a ride to his uncles house and he ended up stealing. They trying to charge me for it because my friend is saying I helped him but I only gave him a ride.I live in Texas.

Answer 1

It all depends on whether you knew (or should have known) beforehand that your friend was going to commit a crime.

But more importantly, if you think you are likely to be charged with a crime (rightly or wrongly), you really should get legal advice, not opinions from the Internet.

Answer 2

You "can" be charged as an accessory before the fact, if the evidence shows that you know of the intention to break into the house. This is covered in Texas Penal Code Ch. 7. Driving the getaway car is also a crime, so it really depends on what you knew. See especially §7.02:

(a) A person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by the conduct of another if:

(1) acting with the kind of culpability required for the offense, he causes or aids an innocent or nonresponsible person to engage in conduct prohibited by the definition of the offense;

(2) acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense; or

(3) having a legal duty to prevent commission of the offense and acting with intent to promote or assist its commission, he fails to make a reasonable effort to prevent commission of the offense.

(b) If, in the attempt to carry out a conspiracy to commit one felony, another felony is committed by one of the conspirators, all conspirators are guilty of the felony actually committed, though having no intent to commit it, if the offense was committed in furtherance of the unlawful purpose and was one that should have been anticipated as a result of the carrying out of the conspiracy.