People travel to parts of South Carolina for a number of reasons. They may be visiting friends, taking a vacation or spending time with family. But too often, tourists or visitors end up getting into trouble while they are staying here and can end up facing serious criminal charges before they leave. This may be especially true when it comes to young adults who may not fully understand the consequences of their actions.

It is an unfortunate reality that young people make some serious mistakes. They may not realize they are doing anything wrong or they may simply assume that they can get away with criminal behavior. There are many teens and young adults who do not take the law seriously and think they are being funny when they misbehave. However, they can be in for some serious repercussions if and when they are arrested.

Last year, a woman had stopped her car outside her Myrtle Beach home. As she was rummaging around in her purse to find the opener for her garage, a 22-year-old man approached her window. He reportedly told her repeatedly to get out of the car, but she was stunned and didn't move. Before she could speak, the man ran off and she heard laughing while someone shouted back at her, "Sorry about that," according to reports.

Police caught up with one of the men the woman saw and arrested him. He was from another state but was held in a South Carolina jail following the incident. Recently, he pleaded guilty to an assault charge for the attempted carjacking and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. Court records indicate that he received credit for the time he had already served and was released.

In situations similar to this one, young people think they are joking around or playing a prank on an unsuspecting victim and therefore believe their actions do not have serious consequences. However, the truth is that police and authorities will aggressively pursue convictions of this behavior in order to send a message to other people. What starts as a misguided attempt at a joke can quickly spiral into an arrest and penalties. It is important that people faced with these types of charges to take them seriously and work with an attorney to have them reduced or dismissed.

Source: Myrtle Beach Online, "Virginia man pleaded guilty to assault in attempted carjacking in Myrtle Beach," Tonya Root, Feb. 21, 2013