Caught Shoplifting in Maine
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Maine
On 07/09/2010 I shoplifted a total of $15 dollars of merchandise (chapstick and a snow globe) from a gift shop in York, Maine. After walking out of the store me and my friend where told to "stop" by the owner. We panicked and ran, after running a while we saw that a police officer was chasing us. I immediately stopped and we where both taken to the York Police Department. It is my first offense and I am 16 years old. I received a Juvenile Summons and a court date for Sept. 13th. I committed a juvenile defense of theft by unauthorized taking/transfer (17A 383 Class E). What is going to happen, I was told that since I am a well-rounded kid and do good in school, and seemings it was my first offense it will all be considered in court. Do I need a lawyer? Will this effect college/future jobs? Will this go on my permanent record? What should I expect? All help is appreciated, thankyou.
Re: Caught Shoplifting in Maine
Odds are you'll get probation. With no priors and a good school, community and home record, you may not even get a disposition (the juvenile court equivalent of a conviction).
Access tp juvenile court records is governed by Maine Revised Statutes, Title 15, Part 6, Sec. 3308. As you can see from that statute, access is quite limited and if you stay out of trouble you'll be able to have your record sealed.
Re: Caught Shoplifting in Maine
Thankyou for responding, any other additional information on how to deal with this and what to expect would be appreciated, I am really scared and I know I made a mistake. I will never do anything so stupid again. I just dont know what to do and am really looking for some help on what to expect. Thankyou for all those who can respond to this post