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Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida

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  • 12-24-2008, 03:25 PM
    InnocentMomto3
    Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    My question involves criminal law for the state of: Florida




    I am a 37 year old mom of three young children. They are 2, 3, and 4 years old. Yesterday (December 22) I took the three of them to a local theme park (Busch Gardens). We have season passes and go quite often. Yesterday was the first time we went alone. As we were leaving the park, I decided to enter a large gift shop to look for some last minute stocking stuffers for my husband. Only my 2yo was in a stroller, the older two were free, looking around at some of the items. I found some gifts, paid for them and left. About 100 feet out of the store, a man comes up to me and says "you need to follow me, we observed you putting items that you did not pay for into your stroller" :confused: WHAT?!?!?! I thought he was kidding and was not about to walk away with some strange man, and asked for ID. He showed me Busch Gardens security ID, so the children and I followed him to some behind the scenes part of the park where they had the police there. He sits me down and asks me if I bought anything while in the park today. I said I did, emptied my bags and produced receipts. Then he asked me to look in the back of my stroller. My stroller is a single Maclaren that has a very small, inaccessible basket unless you have your rider lean all the way forward. So I moved the baby forward and that's when I saw all the booty my children had put in the basket!! All together it totaled $57 worth of junk!! Candy, some crappy toys, just junk. Totally obvious that I did not "steal" any of this crap.

    Well, they procedded to charge me with a Second Degree Petit. I hired a lawyer today who is pretty positive that the charges won't stick.

    I am a stay-at-home-mother looking to return to work next year as a librarian and will need to undergo a background check. Will this bogus charge remain on my record regardless? Or if the case is thrown out, will the record vanish as well?

    Anyone else have trouble at Busch Gardens or with your toddler stealing and you being the fall-gal (or fall-guy)??

    But Bah-Humbug to Busch Gardens!!
  • 12-24-2008, 04:18 PM
    panther10758
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    Your Lawyer can answer these questions
  • 12-24-2008, 04:29 PM
    InnocentMomto3
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    Yes, I realize he can answer the questions about the charges, but I also asked if anyone else had been the victim of a theme park shoplifting charge when in fact it was their toddler who had commited the crime. :confused:
  • 12-24-2008, 04:34 PM
    panther10758
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    Theme park or not yes it happens. Whether security goes as far as to press charges one cant say. I might add while they observed the thefts they might believe you were aware! Thus they prosecuted. Be thankful they did not contact social services as it done sometimes when a theft occurs using a child
  • 12-24-2008, 04:45 PM
    InnocentMomto3
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    Quote:

    Quoting panther10758
    View Post
    Theme park or not yes it happens. Whether security goes as far as to press charges one cant say. I might add while they observed the thefts they might believe you were aware! Thus they prosecuted. Be thankful they did not contact social services as it done sometimes when a theft occurs using a child


    What do you mean "when a theft occurs using a child?" Like someone would ask a child to steal something on their behalf? I'm insulted that someone would think that I would ask my child to steal a $1.00 sugar candy treat on my behalf. Or a stupid talking plastic monkey head.
  • 12-24-2008, 04:48 PM
    panther10758
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    I was explaining that this happens not accussing you simmer down!
  • 12-24-2008, 05:00 PM
    InnocentMomto3
    Re: Toddler Stealing
    Quote:

    Quoting panther10758
    View Post
    I was explaining that this happens not accussing you simmer down!

    Thanks for explaining. I'm just surprised to learn what people will do with a child around!
  • 12-24-2008, 07:54 PM
    Mr. Knowitall
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    Quote:

    Quoting InnocentMomto3
    View Post
    I am a stay-at-home-mother looking to return to work next year as a librarian and will need to undergo a background check. Will this bogus charge remain on my record regardless? Or if the case is thrown out, will the record vanish as well?

    If you're criminally charged, you should expect that the charge will show up in a background check.
    Quote:

    Quoting InnocentMomto3
    Anyone else have trouble at Busch Gardens or with your toddler stealing and you being the fall-gal (or fall-guy)?

    Toddlers and preschoolers do sometimes try to steal; this would be unusual in terms of the number of items stolen and the sophistication of their concealing the items.

    The big question is, what do the loss prevention officers who stopped you say happened and, if available, what's on any surveillance videos?
  • 12-25-2008, 09:40 AM
    InnocentMomto3
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    Quote:

    Quoting Mr. Knowitall
    View Post
    If you're criminally charged, you should expect that the charge will show up in a background check.

    Toddlers and preschoolers do sometimes try to steal; this would be unusual in terms of the number of items stolen and the sophistication of their concealing the items.

    The big question is, what do the loss prevention officers who stopped you say happened and, if available, what's on any surveillance videos?


    There wasn't really any sophistication involved in concealing the items. They just placed them in the stroller basket. It's just the way the basket is designed that makes it impossible for the stroller driver to see what is in the basket unless the child in the stroller leans all the way forward at which point the seat can be pushed forward to access the basket. For my other children, it would be quite easy for them to access the basket because they are tiny and their hands would easily fit in the space between the stroller basket and the seat. There were not many items, but being a theme park, they were costly. I'd imagine the plastic monkey would probably cost anywhere between $10-$15. I've spoken to my oldest child about what happened and she said "but I wanted to give Santa presents too." She doesn't quite understand (yet) that you have to pay for things, you just can't take what you want....believe me, we'll be working on those skills ASAP!
  • 12-25-2008, 09:42 AM
    aaron
    Re: Toddler Stealing at Busch Gardens in Florida
    They don't have to show you the video. As you indicate, your lawyer can get a copy.
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