The Definitions Section of the New Hampshire law on theft casts a wide net so as to include property that the accused has a partial ownership in. Thus, if two people live together and bought a flat screen TV together, and then one moves out and takes it with her without the other's permission, that could potentially be charged as a theft. The same is true for the statute and case law governing “criminal mischief”, which is the crime of damaging the property of another. We see this come up fairly often when a client accused of domestic violence offenses says something like, “I did throw and break the cellphone, which was stupid, but I bought it in the first place, so how is this a crime?” If the client gave the cellphone to another family or household member, it’s their property, at least in part, enough to allow the police and prosecution to pursue that charge.