I was caught stealing $300 worth of items from work including lottery tickets, what could happen to me?

In Missouri, stealing under $500 is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in prison and a $1,000 fine. If your case is in municipal court, the maximum penalty is $500 fine and 6 months in prison. If you want to avoid having a conviction for theft on your permanent criminal record, you will have to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney to get your stealing charge dismissed or amended to a lesser offense.