Store Associate Caught Stealing Merchandise

My question involves criminal law for the state of: NC

Im a 25 years old associate working in Walmart in Raleigh NC and got caught shoplifting a notebook and headphone worth of $350 to $400. this was the terrible mistake i had made in my life and i was going throw financial difficulties. that night i was working i took the merchandise and i put them on my bag, crushed the boxes in bale. In the morning on the way going out the door the manager was checking the bags, and they caught me having it in my bag. They told me that they need to speak with me, then they took me to the control room, where is their camera room. they held me their for one hour and asking me questions why i have this items in my bag and where i got them from. they called the cops on me. but after that hour that passed they came to the room and told me that they are going to keep the stuff for investigation, so then they paid me for the extra hour sitting there and waiting then they said i can leave now, so i left. there was no cops waiting for me or anything. i was working they next two days after that so they told me to just come to work. so i went to work. that night everything was come and no one was there questioning me or anything, and i finished my work and left in the morning. the next night i was working they manager came to me and called me to office. There was a gentlemen from corporate office of Walmart was there and the guy who was taking care of the security cameras. The gentlemen introduce me himself and told me if i recognize the stuff that was on the desk ( The notebook and the headphone) and i said yes i do. they guy start talking me and telling me about his history working with Walmart and how he stared with Walmart and working for 15 years for Walmart and that his working in a high level right now. anyways , the gentlemen start asking me questions that what would i do if Walmart was mine and i was the owner of it , then i caught a very hard worker shoplifting? I was soo nervous when he was asking me this questions, then i answered him: i will give that hard worker to fix himself and the choice that he made, then the gentlemen said to me that Walmart is very similar. and he asked me to be very honest with him , and i said i will.
he asked me that : did i shoplift they stuff ? he told me that he found the boxes crushed in bale and they know that i shoplift the stuff. then i said yes did. I told gentlemen: (as they other Camera guy was siting next to him and writing stuff on the paper) i had made a very wrong, stupid decision in my life ever. The gentleman asked me what would i do to fix it? then i said: i do anything in my power fix the wrong decision i made. then he game me a paper to write what would i do to fix it. then i start writing.
after i finished writing everything that i know i made the very wrong decision and i do anything in my power to fix it. Then the gentlemen told me that i will be suspended to work, and told me to do not come to work the next two day that i was scheduled to work. then they said to me to clock out then leave. They gentlemen also told me they are going to talk to the store manager and the corporate office to make a decision an they will get in contact with me. The gentlemen asked for my phone number to get in contact with me and also they had my home address on the papers too.

i am soo scared and panicking, i have never done a stupid terrible decision like this before in my life. im soo scared , please tell me whats going to happen? im soo scared they come to my house and arrest me. my parents they dont know anything about this. im soo scared.

You have every reason to be scared.

First off...kiss your job goodbye. You can expect to be fired. And don't be shocked if you are turned down for Unemployment benefits.

If you thought you had financial problems now...wait til the all the bills come in. Aside from losing your job and income - you will have legal fees, fines, etc. Seriously, don't be shocked if this $400 of merchandise costs you $10K.

People have financial problems all the time. You did not have a NEED for what you stole (even then, people still get charged with shoplifting a loaf of bread when they could go to a food pantry or apply for food stamps). And with putting the boxes in the bailer - it is obvious you planned the theft. You may be facing FELONY charges. You need a Criminal Defense Lawyer.

You will likely be banned from WalMart and Sam's Clubs nationwide.

You can expect court costs and fines. The amount you stole will show you are not a first time shoplifter, just a first time CAUGHT shoplifter, so expect the prosecutor and judge to go heavy on you.

Oh, and the store or it's lawyers will be sending you a Civil Demand Notice, which is separate from the Criminal Charges you can expect. Since you destroyed the packaging and made the items "Unsaleable" - expect it to be the highest fine that NC law will allow, don't be surprised if it is 4-5 times the value of the items. And if you don't pay it, the amount increases until they sue you in Civil Court, win a judgment and screw up your credit history when you still don't pay up.

Other things...you can expect that you will have a very difficult time finding a new job. Anything involving money or trust - you screwed the pooch big time. You might be lucky enough to toss fries into a vat at McD's. You will have a Criminal Record that will haunt you for many years. This will show up on a Criminal Background Check, so you might find you can't even rent some apartments, as you committed a crime of "moral turpitude".

Also...Expect to have a mugshot taken, fingerprinting...it will happen. And now is a good time to tell the parents, especially if you live with them. They might be surprised by all the mail coming your way with a court date, or the cops on the doorstep (it's possible). And the Civil Demand letter. And they might have to post bond for you to get out of jail.

Speaking of background checks, I don't know offhand what Walmart's policy is on job references, but if they say to prospective employers that you were fired for stealing, that is 100% legal because you WERE (or are about to be) fired for stealing.