[mtnGoat]

If it was done with malice, you could be prosecuted, malicious mischief is a crime. Damage by accident no, not in any of the 50 states.

[echoangle]

The crime isn’t the damage but the „leaving without paying for the damage“. If you damage something accidentally and replace the cost of the damage, it’s not a crime. If you just leave and refuse to pay, it is a crime.

[EGreg]

I thought the great-grandparent said it wasn’t? If it was accidental.