Quote Quoting flyingron
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Regardless of whether they want to accept responsibility or not, fight it or not, nobody should go through the criminal process without legal counsel. I'm sorry, as DD aludes, there's just too many minefields that can be stepped on. The aggregate amount of $1000 or so (anything over $500) puts it into the the realm of third degree theft in NJ. NJ doesn't classify things as misdemeanors or felonies, but third degree theft is at the level that is generally considered a felony. The range of sanctions is broad and the life long implications are severe. Forget about licenses, most employers don't want felons who stole from their employers on their sites. A local judge puts it this way "I'd rather have an applicant with a drug history than a thief. The rehab for the drug addicts is a lot better."
As I said, I understand the very valid reasons for retaining legal counsel. I was speaking to this mindset of "Say nothing, try to get the charges dismissed on a technicality." That's not honorable.

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Quote Quoting distressed567
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I made one mistake. Just because I did something wrong once doesn't mean that it's guaranteed to happen again, there is such a thing as learning your lesson. I'm also not purposely trying to hide the stolen merchandise, I'm completely willing to return all of it, they just never mentioned anything about returning it or even questironed me about it. I'm willing to pay it all back as well, I know what I did was wrong and I'm more than willing to make up for it, my ultimate concern was it being on my record. And as for refusing to talk, I was being 100% cooperative from the start of this, I answered all of their questions honestly and did everything that they asked of me.
The LP also said that I wouldn't be serving jail time, I would just have to pay everything back and it would be put down as disorderly behavior.
A mistake is parking your car in the wrong spot because you forgot where you were told to park. You are a thief. You stole purposely, every time. No mistake there.

No it's not guaranteed to happen again. But I've been working long enough to know that it usually does.

Your "concern" with it being on your record should have stopped you from doing it. But you willingly chose to make a bet, of sorts, and you bet your future that you'd not get caught - and you lost that bet spectacularly. I do not feel bad for you.

This is not "disorderly behavior." Disorderly behavior is getting a little too drunk and being a little too loud in public, or play fighting and acting like a fool in a manner that briefly annoys other people.

This is theft. And you are a criminal.