I was arrested for stealing $1,400 worth of goods. I have never been arrested before. What will happen?

sillyup100

Don't worry ... The US Justice system will see you through.
I'm going to be honest .
First off to stay off behind bars, you will need to find a lawyer. Find one in the yellow book. Trust me just find one in the yellow book.

Now make sure you know what your going to say.

Now here is your probably punishments:
Pay a $5,000 + fine.
Get this crime in your record.
Even though that was some serious money.... You wont get arrested. Relax. Just pay the fine they give you.
One more thing community service. I would say at least 75 hours of service..

Don't do it again or you may find yourself 2 years + in jail

Good Luck

grafjunkie

lol ur a moron :]

ttse

Something similar happen to my sister. She stole from K-Mart by giving her friends discounts (like 95% off discounts). In about 4 months, she had stolen over $4,000!
And yes, giving unapproved discounts IS stealing!
She pleaded guilty. She got banned for life from ALL K-Marts; she has to paid ALL the money she stole PLUS interest (restitution); had to do many hours of community service and got probation. She ended up doing three months in jail for violating probation by missing two payments on her restitution bill.
If I were you, I would start being the best goody-to-shoes (legally I mean) and start making & saving money. If you have a job, do your best to keep it. If not try to get one BUT be honest about the arrest -if asked. Have a a yard sale, or babysit as much as you can. But remember to make money LEGALLY! If you can pay Target the $1400 (be sure to have proof if you do), it will look better for you. Target most likely will not drop everything if you pay them but they may drop or lower something.

zorrotheliberator

Well since you were caught red handed, they have the evidence to prosecute you. Not to mention they probably have video too, so your busted, and yes you will need legal help. You have one thing going for you and that is this is your first arrest. If your busted, your busted, so there is no use in trying to get out of it or fight it. Throw yourself on the mercy of the court and plea bargain for probation. Pay your fines and keep your nose clean, and never steal again. If you can't afford a attorney the Judge can appoint you one.

Kenneth C

$1,400?

Here in Missouri, that is felony any way you cut it. I'm sure it is the same for most states. Target will definitely want to prosecute you for that much worth of stolen dogs.

I would advise getting a lawyer, grab a phone book and start calling. Plenty of attorneys listed. Most will offer you a free consult. If they seem smart, have a decent office and have argued a lot of cases, it will be a smart bet.

Also, consider a public defender. A lot of people are down on them. But they are in the court house every day. They know the judge and they go to lunch with the prosecutors every day. They might have a bigger case load, but they also are good at cutting favorable deals for you.

In my experience, in similar cases. I have seen people spend a few days in jail for shock jail with hefty fines and restitution, plus supervised probation for a year or two.

Keep in mind though, these are very serious charges that can in theory land you in jail for *years*. So it is very important you get competent legal representation.

buttfor2007

Is there some reason you stole, and now do not want to take the consequences?

Edgar R

That's grand larceny probably probation.

Mr. Happy

Where I'm from, anything over $100 is a felony. If u have a clean record, u plea first offenders and only get probation, theft awareness classes, community service and a fine. And you'll probably be banned from that Target or any other ones for life.

Mystery and Fire

I hope you suffer the consequences of your greed. Maybe you will learn. Seems even now you want to get out of it. Selfish thinking ? (I was never arrested before, I am clean-like that makes it better or more excusable)
Most likely you will get probation and a fine.

tome79

dont drop the soap

More gravy than grave

i think grandtheft is a felony...but there might be some leniency.

viperroadster

Depends on your state. In mine $1000 is a felony. You know you did it, your best bet is not to worry about an attorney and just plead guilty. Honesty can help you out when the judge imposes a penalty. Dont waste the judges time when you have already admitted to taking the stuff.

You might consider contacting Legal Aid.

That's a lot of goods to shoplift. It's going to take a lot to get past this. Quite a bit of time. And probably quite a bit of money. And most certainly quite a bit of emotional distress. I sincerely hope that the hassle you have to go through teaches you why you should never attempt that again.

Johnny Rotten

It,s your first offense...They,ll make you do some county work and put you on probation for a year...They have murderers,drug dealers to deal with...You want spend anymore time in jail...Don,y steal again...The second offense will not be as good!!

Bonnie C

It's hard to say. Where I live $300 and above is a felony, regardless of priors.

jullliax3

It really depends on your age and what state you live in try looking up shoplifting laws in ( whatever state you live in) on google, that should give you all the information u need to know

Beau

You'll probably get probation and community service. You will get a large fine to pay back Target for the security services, too. But you probably won't get jail time being your 1st offense.

thegenuwineone

We all make mistakes...trust me been there done that.
1. Hire a lawyer he/she will probably run you about 2 to 3 thousand...not cheap but its better than a felony record that will screw you in the a** forever. They will require you to have them fully paid off by your final court date.
2. Once you have a lawyer, hopefully one that has been around and has a few connections in the court house, talk to your lawyer and see if they could possibly get the district attorney to grant you a process called "differred prosecution". This is where you agree to a probationary period that will probably be years in your case, but still better than a felony record, and also a large number of community service hours. I think that since you returned the mechandise you will not have to pay restitution so youre good there but there will be some court costs and fines. These should be in the hundreds so expect them.

They know you did it so make sure that your lawyer, the court, and especially Target knows that you made a stupid mistake...youve learned from it....and that you will NEVER do anything this stupid again.

I hope this works for you and i wish you the best of luck with your situation.

P.S. If you will send me an email on here and let me know what area you are in I may be able to help you with a lawyer to present your case. Also, How old are you? This will probably have a huge effect on how you are viewed in a courtroom

Rych

Theif!!

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