Ok somebody closed my thread...I'd love to know why??
Anyway,
I completely agree...paying the fine is FAR cheaper than fighting with a lawyer.Quoting bam!
However, I signed that paper because you're going to get a civil demand letter either way genius! Its not "admitting" to anything, its basically the ONLY way out of that room w/o handcuffs or a summons. So signing the form has nothing to do with my guilt or innocence--it was a decision based on weighing other possible outcomes. Can you comprehend that?
And if you had actually taken the time to read the WHOLE thread, you'd realize I signed the form for a few reasons:
A. my only other alternative was arrest (which guilty OR innocent, they can and will do)
B. I am a college grad with a squeaky clean record--Arrest? no thanks..that stays on your record whether convicted or not
C. I work at a professional job in NYC and again, its not worth the public shame or arrest, getting time off for court, etc even if innocent
D. I can afford to pay the fine
E. Getting arrested STILL means you pay the civil demand. They proceed with the civil claim regardless of whether they press charges or not. So again, if you knew ANYTHING, you'd realize that people dont sign the form to "admit" they're guilty.
You're obviously some power tripping store detective like the idiot I ran into Saturday
Yea I agree..I did sign, but at least you are smart enough to realize WHY I signed.Quoting jparent
And after reading the thread about the girl from PA who stole from the JC Penny's and paid the civil demand, w/o being arrested or issued a summons at the time, I'm getting a little nervous. I mean I was told "pay the fine, thats the end." I dont wanna pay the fine and then end up with a summons a month down the road. I called the store and the folks say they have no intentions of pressing charges as long as I pay the civil demand. Thats fine by me. But I just wonder how TRUE it is...
If they're gonna prosecute me anyway even after I pay the fine, it might be worth it to fight it afterall, ya know??
Or maybe that girl's story is a rare case...I would THINK that if they wanted to press charges they wouldve done it then and there. There was a cop on duty downstairs in the freakin store! So I'm HOPING I'm off the hook for that at least. But again, who knows???
Im as confused as you about what made the LP decide to stop me. Maybe they saw me on the cold remedies isle, THOUGHT they saw me drop something in my bag, and then watched me proceed to checkout w/o paying for it.
I mean think about the probable cause 5 or 6 elements--if you mistakenly THINK you see somebody put something in a bag, after approaching the items, then they check out w/o paying for it, it pretty much makes your case right there. The rest of the elements are ALL CONTINGENT ON THE MOST CRITICAL ONE: seeing somebody conceal something. If you make a mistake there, its very easy to mistakenly establish the rest of the pattern.

