A family arrives at a campground in their motor home. The manager offers a lot for free if the family would pay for utilities. After five weeks they drive off without paying the $360 bill. Would this be charged as felony or misdemeanor crime?

• A. Defrauding Innkeeper - Felony
• B. Defrauding Innkeeper - Misdemeanor
• C. Larceny
• D. Fraud

Answer: (B)

This item tests how theft-related offenses are categorized by the way service is obtained and by the amount involved. When someone stays somewhere and doesn’t pay for lodging, many jurisdictions treat this as defrauding an innkeeper, a specific form of theft by deception that covers not paying for services rendered.

The amount matters for how serious the charge is. A bill of $360 is typically below the threshold that would elevate the offense to a felony in most places. Therefore, this would be charged as a misdemeanor, reflecting a lesser degree of theft tied to unpaid lodging rather than a higher-level felony.

Larceny wouldn’t fit because no actual property was taken away; the issue here is unpaid service, not the physical taking of items. Fraud is a broader term that could apply in many contexts, but the most precise charge for failing to pay for lodging is defrauding innkeeper, which captures the deceit involved in obtaining services without paying.