QUESTION
What should I do if I was caught shoplifting $34 worth of items?
Asked on Dec 22nd, 2014 on Criminal Law - Minnesota
More details to this question:
Recently, I was caught shoplifting from a retail store (approximately $34). My friend and I walked out the door and a guy stopped us and asked if we could come back in the store with him. We followed him into a back office where a lady was also at. They asked if we had anything in our purses that we didn't pay for. We didn't say anything. He then said that if we had anything, to empty it on the boxes in front of us. We emptied our purses and they called an officer to the store. The officer said we would be getting charged with misdemeanors and would be getting a citation in the mail. I've been reading up on a lot of theft cases and I'm confused. I know I did the crime so I was going to plead guilty, and do what they need me to do. However, all of these posts are saying plead not guilty and ask for a public defender. I make a lot of money and work for the jail that also houses the courthouse. Stupid, I know, but I'm still not sure what to do. I'm pretty sure I'm losing my job and there isn't much around this small town that hires individuals with a record. I'm really scared about how everything will go. Also, my husband and I are supposed to be moving to his hometown in Louisiana in like 4 months, but now I suppose we won't be able to do that? I'm also 19 years old and was hoping to try and work this out to where it could be erased in the future. I have nothing on my record and don't plan on doing anything to get me in trouble again. So if I do not have a felony by the time I turn 21, I want to try and get it erased. I'm just not sure how to go about this and could really use help.
1 ANSWER
3 Awards
Hi. I'm glad that you decided to use this LawQA forum. What you're reading is correct. You do not want to just go in and plead guilty. That will lead to you being convicted of the crime. It will then appear on your criminal record. Instead, what you want to do is to end up with a deal that prevents this offense from going on your record at all. It's sometimes called a continuance for dismissal or a diversion program. If you can get this type of deal on the front end, then you won't be convicted of the crime at all, and it will be much easier to go get it expunged later. To make all of this more likely, the best thing you can do is to hire an attorney to help you. Your attorney will negotiate with the prosecuting attorney while at the same time looking closely at the charges and the evidence against you. Hiring an attorney now may mean all the difference when it comes to keeping your job or trying to get new employment here or in Louisiana later. Feel free to give me a call to chat about options. Good luck.
Answered on Dec 23rd, 2014 at 6:00 PM