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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Posts
    1

    Unhappy Caught Helping a Friend Shoplift

    My question involves criminal law for the state of: Ohio. I went to Walmart with a friend and in my bag was $40 worth of merchandise but it wasn't for me , it was my friend . She wears a size XL and I wear a size S/Ch . I didn't steal anything for myself , it was all hers and all her idea . I didn't even want to do it . Next thing I know we're being taken to the office there and sitting on a very small bench waiting for police to arrive . I had money in my wallet I could've paid for everything we stole but I didn't because I needed my money plus my friend kept saying it was "so easy" to steal from Walmart. I don't have anything else on my record and I can't afford an attorney . What should I do ? What should I say when I go before the judge ? What do you think will happen ? Will I get arrested ? How much will the fine be ? They're having us go to court together at the same time and I want to tell them it was all her fault but doing that would result in losing a friendship we've built for 6 years . I'm 19 years old .

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    in alto mare
    Posts
    1,123

    Default Re: Helo

    Someone who urges you to steal is NOT a "friend," and I'd put distance between myself and her from now on.

    What did the police do/say when they arrived?

    Yes, you may be charged with a crime. If so, you can request a public defender.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    19,901

    Default Re: Helo

    Helping someone steal is called stealing. You are admitting to a crime. It has nothing to do with "friendship."
    If you are charged you are facing up to SIX MONTHS in jail and $1000 in fines (plus court costs).

    You can expect a civil demand from Walmart's "lawyers" for $250. This is independent of you criminal charges.

    If you are charged, it would behoove you to have an attorney. If you are indigent, ask for a public defender.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    8,238

    Default Re: Helo

    If you have not yet been to court at all then your first appearance will be the arraignment in which you are advised of the charges against you and you enter a plea. I suggest you get a lawyer before then if you can. If you can't afford one, plead not guilty at the arraignment and ask for a public defender. Should your case go to trial, you can tell the court that it was your friend’s idea, but that won’t help you much. It wasn’t, as you say, “all her fault.” It was your fault, too, for going along with something you knew was wrong. You fell into that classic teen trap of peer pressure. You need friends who have solid values and aren't into things that are illegal and will get you into trouble. When a friend suggests doing something you know is wrong, you need to have the backbone to say you’re not going to be involved in it and walk away before it starts. You didn't do that and as a result, in the eyes of the law, you are just as guilty as she is in this theft.

    You really do need a lawyer. If you are convicted of a theft offense your life may get a lot harder. Not a lot of employers want people who have been convicted of theft as employees. You might not qualify to get certain professional licenses or security clearances. All kinds of opportunities can be lost when you have that kind of criminal record.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    2,289

    Default Re: Caught Helping a Friend Shoplift

    Quote Quoting xAmanderrxD
    View Post
    My question involves criminal law for the state of: Ohio. I went to Walmart with a friend and in my bag was $40 worth of merchandise but it wasn't for me , it was my friend . She wears a size XL and I wear a size S/Ch . I didn't steal anything for myself , it was all hers and all her idea . I didn't even want to do it . Next thing I know we're being taken to the office there and sitting on a very small bench waiting for police to arrive . I had money in my wallet I could've paid for everything we stole but I didn't because I needed my money plus my friend kept saying it was "so easy" to steal from Walmart. I don't have anything else on my record and I can't afford an attorney . What should I do ? What should I say when I go before the judge ? What do you think will happen ? Will I get arrested ? How much will the fine be ? They're having us go to court together at the same time and I want to tell them it was all her fault but doing that would result in losing a friendship we've built for 6 years . I'm 19 years old .
    Seriously? You are more worried about your "friendship" than going to jail possibly or having a criminal record? Drop the friend she is not a friend.

    How are you 19 years old and you do not know that stealing is illegal and wrong?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Lake Chapala
    Posts
    3,043

    Default Re: Caught Helping a Friend Shoplift

    There's no point telling the cops or a judge that it's "all her fault" because the only way it could possibly be "all her fault" is if she forced you at gunpoint to put/allow her to put $40-worth of merchandise in your bag. Nothing in your post indicates that she did this, and I strongly suspect that if she had done this, you would have said so.

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