Almost Shoplifted but Changed My Mind - But Could Look Guilty on Camera

It is hard to tell. Unless the merchandise disappeared, there is nothing to worry about. Even then, there is nothing to worry about until you get a civil demand letter or the police come a'knockin'. Different companies, and different bosses within same, have different approaches to these types of cases.

By my last sentence I meant that prosecution may not occur. It is not the police who prosecute you, it is the district attorney or similar person in your jurisdiction. The police look at whether there is sufficient evidence to arrest. Once you are arrested, the prosecutor looks at the evidence and decides whether there is enough to win. Either of those 2 agencies could decide that the case is a non-starter. The store can push back to try and make something happen but there is no guarantee.

That's the problem, I really don't know what happenend with the merchandise. Even if I'm literally freaking out, I think that I can't do anything more than waiting, right?
I never did something like that before, and for sure I'm not going to do it again.

The item may have been found and returned to the secured location.

It may have been found by another shoplifter who did get away - in which video could make you an accomplice.

None of us are psychic....we don't know - only the store does at this point....

But your advice is always to stay away from the store and avoid to talk to them for getting more information about that, right?

I would follow that advice and not worry about it,chances are very slim they will go after you. There a good chance someone put the item in the right place,even if someone else took it and got caught they will most likely be the only one prosecuted. People grab things to buy and then change their mind and are to lazy to put the item back where they belong.

This assumes, as well, that the packaging of the item wasn't changed.

In other words, if you took it out of the package and/or removed the anti theft device, the game changes.

I don't think this thing was "packaged" at all. It sounds like one of those cameras, cell phones, etc... things that's put out for customer examination that's tethered to the display and he found one that had lost it's connection.

Exactly, no package, disconnected from the security wire. No alarms actived. Does this make some difference?

Disconnected from the security wire means SOMEONE wanted to steal it. Trust me - the stores do not disconnect something and then just leave it lying there. And to cut through the security wire would mean it was pre-meditated, aka PLANNED.

Since you had your hands on it and admittedly "almost shoplifted", yes, you could look like the guilty party.

And yes, they can bust you should you enter that store again and they are watching for you. Again, we stress - stay out of that store. Stay out of it's neighboring locations in that county and surrounding counties as well.

Not necessarily, Pandora. Sometimes they just weren't too careful with attaching them or they came off because someone without criminal intent pulled too hard, etc... Can't tell you the number of times I've sen these things not connected but still resting on their perches.