A Friend and I Were Caught Shoplifting

My question involves criminal law for the state of PA: A friend were caught shop lifting in Walmart we were question and our information was taken down we both just recently got civil demand letter demanding we pay a fee of 150$ each now the total sum of the items we took were a little over 500$ my question is if we pay the 150$ fee will walmart not take us to court, could the issue an arrest warrant due to the amount being over 500$? Is it ok to just ignore the fee and never go back to that walmart again?

Nobody here has a working crystal ball -- you chose to steal, and you are going to have to wait to see what happens. If the store gave you a break by not already having you criminally charged, you may want to think twice about tempting fate.

Walmart doesn't decide whether to criminally prosecute, that's the state that does that. If they didn't report you to the police when it happened, you're not likely to. Of course, if they did report you it could be a few months and you'll get the suprise of an order to come to court (and to stop in and have mug shots and finger prints). If you don't pay Walmart's civil demand, they have the option of taking your to civil court (distinct from criminal prosecution).

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Quoting flyingron

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If you don't pay Walmart's civil demand, they have the option of taking your to civil court (distinct from criminal prosecution).

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But they do also have the option of pursuing criminal charges by reporting the incident to the police, as long as the statute of limitations has not run out.

What does Walmart have that is worth screwing up your life for? Get criminal charges for theft on your record and your options for jobs, education, professional licenses, etc. are going to be severely limited. Rather than worry about whether you're going to be charged with a crime, take care of this hopefully isolated incident and reflect on what you are doing to your life.