My question involves criminal law for the state of: South Carolina
Let's say I'm asking for a friend.
My friend is an idiot and risked his future to save $20. There's really no excuse so I won't bother with the context. He is keenly aware of the vastness of his ineptitude.
Wal-Mart LP caught him on his way out, and he returned the $19.99 item when questioned. This is his first offense and he has a clean record. LP agreed to not inform the police (for now, at least), but to expect a civil restitution letter, which he made sure to specify is separate from any criminal charges. My friend has no issues paying the restitution in full whenever it may come, but is extremely worried about a potential prosecution. The LP told him it basically comes down to chance from the legal team on whether they will pursue it or not. He has scoured several threads on this topic, however most tend to die before actually describing the final outcome, or are just very hung up on paying the civil restitution (which again, he has no problem paying off as soon as received).
So his question is this: can anyone with experience on this topic chime in on the odds of a criminal prosecution? He's seen a lot of articles back from the mid 2000s stating Wal-Mart policy is to not prosecute for under $25, but also a few more recent threads around the web that may no longer support that.
Any and all advice/info is very much appreciated. Thanks for your time.

