My question involves criminal law for the state of:
hi there,
i got into an accident last night at winners. i picked up two cosmetic items cost at $28 at the front of the store then i walked over to the middle section of the store where the shoes located. i picked up 1 pair of sandals and 2 pairs of boots. i had a cross body purse and a small recycled bag( my lunch box, a large bottle of water and corns in a plastic bag).
i walked to a corner where they had a chair there for customers to try on. there were few other customers trying on purses, shoes and a jacket was left on the chair. i didnt want to put the cosmetic items on top of the jacket, so i left them in my recycled bag to free my hands so that i could try on the sandals and the boots. i tried on different sizes for the boots and picked size 6.5. but i went to the size 6 section and found out they have a pair of 6 as well. so again i took sometime to try both 6 and 6.5 just to make sure. after i made my decision on the sizes, i walked to the cash counter to checkout.
while i was in line, i reached my hand into my purse to look for my credit card and a winners store credit note since i dont use a wallet. im not an organlized person, usually my cards and money are in different places in the purse. there were a lot of things in my purses, sunglasses, epad, epad charger, phone charger, itouch, a loose powder, mascaras and a bottle of makeup remover(it was still in a plastic bag) i bought from shoppers. when i reach into my purse, i couldnt feel my cards, and my hand got on the make up remover, so i just took it out and put it in the recycle bag. i couldnt find my cards in the first pocket i reached, so i touched the makeup remover bag to look for my shoppers optimum master card there because the last time i used it was in shoppers and i had no purse but my credit card and shoppers points card with me.
i couldnt feel my card in the plastic bag, so i opened up my purse again to look for the cards. i totally forgot about the two items in my bag by then. as i found my cards in the purse, soon it was my turn to check out. i gave the cashier my winners credit note then swiped my master card. i swiped twice, but twice the transaction didnt go through. i just requested a new visa card because i lost my old one 2 days ago. so i panic a little when i found out my master card is not working, but it worked on the same day when i bought the make up remover and did a business transcationl. but i still tried to pay with cash, and didnt have enough and i had no other cards with me. i asked the cashier to hold the boots for me for 20 mins and then left the counter. i was walkin toward the exit,took out my cellphone from the purse and stopped a bit to make a call to the credit card company. but my phone turned off immediately when i dial out the number. i got so upset and i walked out of the store, thinking about going back home quick(i live 10 mins away) to get my debit card and coming back asap to pick up the boots because the cashier hold them for me.
when a young man approached me from the back, i dunt remember now if he tapped my should or simply asked me to stop and what he said to me as i turned around. he said something like, i work for winners, you shoplifted or you didnt pay for the items in your bag. then i remembered i have the 2 cosmetic items in the lunch bag. i walked with him into the store right away. and trying to take the products out and ask to pay for them cuz i had enough cash. but he asked me not to touch the bag and escorted me with a security guard into the back room. again i tried to take the product out, but he asked me to leave the lunch bag on the table and sit across him. he read to me that im under arrest and i have to the right to call a lawyer and so on. at that point, i didnt think it could turn out to be so serious, i thought i could just explain to him what happened because i didnt do it intentionally. so i told him i dunt need a lawyer. i tried to explain to him what happened, but he didnt believe me. he asked me to fill out personal information form.
i asked him allow me to call my credit card compay and he did let me use the phone. and i charged my cell phone as well and called my mom. then i sat there with this anger and upset feeling. i tried to be calm and think about what happened, and all the coincidences. i know somehow its my fault as well. if my card would work, if i always organize my purse, a lot of ifs and i wouldnt be in a mass. i just cant believe this would happen to me.
later on another man walked in and gave me the trespass form and fine notice paper and asked me to sign. i told them i didnt do it on my intention and i wouldnt pay. he told me that i can talk to the organization who works on behalf of winners for the fines. and that it doesnt mean i plea guilt if i sign the forms. so i signed the forms without reading the details on them and any second thoughts and then a photo of me was taken.
i was detained for 4.5 hours until the police came and let me go at no charge. i tried to talk to the police officer, he interrupted me and said what i did is stupid,but hes going to let me go at no charge. every time i tried to talk, he would waved his hand which to me meant to ask me not to talk.
i got home with the two forms, one is i got banned 5 years from any company belongs to winners and a notice of fines i will be facing. and i sat there and talked to my family abt it then i realized i shouldnt even sign the paper because i didnt do it intentionally.
i stayed up pretty much all night, thinking about calling them the next day until i checked out informations about shoplifting this morning, i realized even if i call them. it wont help to sort things out.
i want to know what i can do now to clear things up...

