Changing Bar Codes. Misdemeanor Fraud or Theft Charge

[Jess Lee]

My question involves criminal law for the state of: Texas -
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Texas
I got arrested in Johnson county for changing the price tags on items and going through self check out and I have a misdemeanor fraud charge.. But later got caught in tarrant county for the exact same thing and it was less money but I have two prior theft charges in tarrant so instead of getting a fraud charge I have a state jail felony theft. There both pending cases, how can I get two completely different charges for the exact same crime? There both in Texas, so the law should be the same in both county's correct?

[Disagreeable]

After so many crimes, the price goes up. Perhaps a few years in jail is exactly what you need to stop your thievery.

[flyingron]

You could have been charged with either at either point. Theft covers just the fact you took something without paying (fully) for it.
Fraud covers changing a printed material to misrepresent something to harm another (harm includes pecuniary issues).

It's like driving through downtown at 100 mph. They could charge you with reckless driving or they could just charge you with speeding.

Absent knowing just what the amounts are and the paritculars of the charge, can't tell you if the punishment levels are correctly applied. There's no particular reason that the dollar amount involved yield the same punishment (in fact, fraud gets charged differently based on a number of factors of which the dollar amount is only a minor part, if at all).

What you need very much if you're going to commit crimes of this nature (especially if you do so poorly that you repetitively get caught) is an attorney.