You may be eligible for diversion. Talk to an attorney.
If you are convicted, there is a big chance that you can get it expunged after 5 years. Even expungement of felonies seem to be an option in Maine. You have to make sure you are an exemplary citizen and don't have any identical convictions. Check out this link:
http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com...ment/maine.htm
"this is my first time doing this and being caught."
Now here is a piece of advice: don't EVEN try to claim this in the court. While theoretically it is possible that it was your first attempt, judge will most likely not believe that. First time offenders don't just steal 50-100$ make-up, dresses, shirts, purses, etc. (I am not only referring to you but to a few other threads that claim it is their first time, with a dollar amount of 50-100 or more). First time offenders typically steal a pack of gum, socks, toothbrush, etc., something that has < than 10$ value. And, being a criminal psychologist, I know that most shoplifters that get caught and sometimes convicted are scared ****less that the same exact store (or other stores, for that matter) will find out of the occasions the person has stolen before. But lucky for them, stores have too much stuff going on at any given moment and they don't have time to be digging into the old tapes, nor do they keep tapes beyond 6 months, I believe. But I may be wrong about the 6 month period.
Most likely you will be fine, or you can find some kind of solution to conviction problem, if you get convicted. Either way, hope you learned you lesson. Good luck to you.
Correction: Stores get rid of tapes after certain time if they don't see anything suspicious on them. But then again, if they see something suspicious, I would imagine that they would follow-up on those sooner rather than later.
I have been asked a few times if some/all stores keep a permanent record of their security tapes. Or is there a more reasonable time limit? Just curious. I would assume that with advance technologies available today, it would be possible to keep a permanent record. Does anyone have any information on this? Thanks.

