Are you able to arrest someone for destruction of property without a warrant?

• A. No
• B. Yes, with an eyewitness if officer did not see it themselves
• C. Only with a warrant
• D. Only for felonies

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that warrantless arrests are allowed in certain situations when there’s probable cause and the offense is observed by someone other than the officer. For destruction of property, if the officer did not witness the act but there is a credible eyewitness who saw the act and can identify the suspect, that eyewitness testimony can provide enough probable cause to arrest without a warrant. In practice, this means you don’t have to wait for a warrant to detain someone in this scenario if there’s reliable eyewitness testimony establishing who committed the act. The other options are too absolute: a warrant isn’t always required for every destruction of property case, and this isn’t limited only to felonies.