Retail Fraud 3rd and Contributing to Delinquency of a Minor

[ladybugawug]

My question involves criminal law for the state of: Michigan

If someone is charged with retail fraud III and contributing to del of minor, what can they do to keep this from going on record. Mother and daughter bought newspapers.

These newspapers are the day after thanksgiving so they are 3x as big as normal paper, it looks like she took 10 papers. She paid for them the detective says she didnt pay for all of them. The mother drove the car, didnt touch the papers, but is charged for retail fraud and contributing to del of minor.


How can mom keep this off her record, she hasnt been in trouble for 15 years

Thank you for help

[Mr. Knowitall]

She can get a lawyer and fight the charge.

We don't know what happened. Is she alleged to have stolen the papers from a newspaper box? If so, her lawyer can examine the police report in relation to how much money was in the box, and if there was at least enough to pay for ten papers.

[PandorasBox]

Ladybugawug....

Questions for you:

(1) County and store?
(2) Did they detain Mom and/or daughter?
(3) Was a Civil Demand issued? If so, paid or not paid?
(4) How recently did this come up since it involved Thanksgiving papers?


For the other helpful people here:

Depending on the area of Michigan....

If it was Detroit News or Free Press, I don't know of any area that has boxes outside a store anymore, due to vandalism and theft during the Newspapers Union strike about 10 years back. Strikers would vandalize the boxes, and/or put in the money for one paper and take the whole pile. Most retailers still sell the paper inside the store, on racks near the registers and you have to pay at a register.