2019 was not a great year of baseball for the San Diego Padres. They lost their last regular-season game on September 29 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing the year with 70 wins and 92 losses. It was their fourth straight 90-loss season, and their general manager was let go just a week before their last game. But in baseball, the off-season is always a good time to regroup and rebuild a team, and players can work on overcoming their weaknesses for the next season.

But for San Diego Padres pitcher Jacob Nix, the off-season is off to a “ruff” start as he was recently arrested and charged with criminal trespassing when he tried to crawl through a doggy door into a house that was not his. In the early morning hours of October 6, a man in Peoria, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix) woke up when he heard someone trying to crawl in through a doggy door in his bedroom. The homeowner kicked the trespasser in the face and then saw another person's arm reach through the door and pull the trespasser out.

The homeowner told his wife to grab his handgun but she couldn't retrieve it, so she instead grabbed a Taser and handed it to her husband as he leaned through the doggy door. The homeowner saw two men attempting to run away, so he aimed the Taser and struck one of the suspects in the back, causing him to fall down. The suspect got up and the two men ran away.

Peoria Police later found the two men several miles away and arrested them. The men were Jacob Nix and Thomas Cosgrove, a minor league pitcher for an affiliate team with the San Diego Padres organization. Both were charged with criminal trespassing for entering the homeowner's backyard, and Nix was charged with an additional count of criminal trespassing since he entered the home through the doggy door. Both men admitted that before the incident, they had been out drinking.

Criminal Trespassing in Washington

In Washington, trespassing can either be a civil or criminal complaint, depending on who brings forth the charges. Criminal trespassing can be charged as either a first-degree or second-degree charge. According to RCW 9A.52.070 :

(1) A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the first degree if he or she knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building.

(2) Criminal trespass in the first degree is a gross misdemeanor.

And Washington's RCW 9A.52.080 states:

(1) A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the second degree if he or she knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in or upon premises of another under circumstances not constituting criminal trespass in the first degree.

(2) Criminal trespass in the second degree is a misdemeanor.

Defense Attorney Steve Karimi

Even a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor charge can be serious in the state of Washington. If you have been charged with criminal trespassing, you might have made an innocent mistake and didn't realize you were trespassing. A former prosecutor-turned-attorney like Steve Karimi will examine your case and mount a credible defense. Call the Law Offices of Steve Karimi today at 206-621-8777 or fill out a contact form to get started.