Going to Court for First Offense Shoplifting
My question involves criminal law for the state of: I was in Walmart yesterday and did the stupidest thing of my life. I stole and got caught. The item was worth $100 and this was my first AND LAST TIME. I basically have a court date and I'm freaking out. What's gonna happen? And what are the court fees gonna be? I do not want to go to jail.
Re: Going to Court for First Offense Shoplifting
Read the 'stickied' threads.
Re: Going to Court for First Offense Shoplifting
Walmart is not a state. We can give you slightly better information if you had bothered to answer that.
In addition to your criminal charges you can be assured that Walmart's "lawyers" will send you a letter in a couple of weeks demanding damages (the amount varies by state).
Re: Going to Court for First Offense Shoplifting
Illinois sorry I didn't see the state part
Re: Going to Court for First Offense Shoplifting
If you "do not want to go to jail" you should stop committing crimes.
I've said it before here and I'll say it again: In many places it might be unlikely that you will go to jail on a first theft offense, but it's certainly not out of the question. I live in a mid-sized city (in the top 30 largest metro areas of the US) and I can think of two suburban municipal courts in this metro area that absolutely will lock you up - even if only for 24-48 hours - on a first theft offense with no priors.