My question involves criminal law for the state of: Oregon
I was at the mall when my cell phone was stolen out of my purse. It was a brand new blackberry in an expensive case. Once I knew it had been stolen, I went to my carrier's kiosk in the mall and disabled the service (they had already turned the phone off so I figured it was long gone). Because I was ineligible for a phone upgrade, I had to pay a ton of money for a new cell. After about 2 weeks, I got a call from the police that they had found my cell in the possession of a woman who had stolen a car and had many other stolen items. I was surprised the cops found out it was my cell phone, because at that point I had not filed a theft report. In order to get the phone back, I had to file a report and spent all afternoon at the police station. So, not only have I lost a lot of money but have been hugely inconvenienced and still don't have the phone back or know what shape it is even in. I asked the officer what I could do to get a little justice and he just responded that if I wanted to press charges I would have a good case. What happens if I do press charges and what do I get out of the process? I do think this woman needs to learn a little respect for other people. Thanks!

