The misdemeanor charge of theft will affect your life drastically. No employer wants to hire a thief. I can not stress how important it is to keep it off your record. You should hire a local criminal defense attorney that also handles class C misdemeanors to handle your case. If you are granted a deferred adjudication, you can petition the district court to expunge (erase any record of your criminal charge and arrest) usually right after you successfully complete it. Do not just pay the citation or else it will remain on your record forever. Go to court and ask for a deferred or hire an attorney to do it for you. As far as the civil demand for restitution, as long as the court does not make it a condition, you can pretty much ignore the store's request for restitution for the cost of security etc etc. The restitution should be the least of your worries.
Answered on Jul 26th, 2013 at 1:21 AM