Minor Theft

[purevil]

My question involves criminal law for the state of: North Carolina

My 14y/o daughter was with a 16y/o friend at the mall. They had been caught shoplifting at Claire’s with a combined amount of $30 of jewelry. Claire’s pressed charges and they charged my daughter with larceny as a minor and her friend with larceny as an adult. As a parent of the 14y/o, what should I do legally? Should I get an attorney, (which we can hardly afford), just defend ourselves, or is there a way to get a public defender and is it worth getting?

Thanks,

[Mr. Knowitall]

Try to get a free consultation with a lawyer who represents juveniles in criminal cases. If your daughter has a clean record and is doing well in school, there's a good chance it could be resolved without an adjudication (the juvenile court equivalent of a conviction); but a local lawyer will be better able to tell you what's likely to happen under the facts of your case in the county where she's charged.