Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. This is why many individuals may take advantage of the chaos and try to steal some of the deals without ever paying for them. Petty theft is a common crime, but comes with serious punishments. Each state has their own penalties for petty theft, and typically petty theft and shoplifting are considered crimes that involve items valued at $950 or less. Also, the item stolen must be of a certain type, such as a consume good. Cars and firearms are two of the items that are considered more serious and come with a very different set of penalties.
Petty theft involves stealing that is not taken directly from a person. When an item is taken directly off of a person, this can come with different penalties because it involves mugging or threatening. Oftentimes, petty theft is shoplifting, or taking an item that has a price on it and walking out of the store without paying. There are other forms of petty theft that are commonly recognized as well. First of all, there is theft by trick. This would be changing the price tag on an item in a store so that you can pay less for it, or something of that nature.
There is also theft by fraud or false pretense, which is telling a lie in order to persuade someone to give you their property. For example, if you try to convince a store cashier that you purchased an item and lefgt it in the store, and now try to remove the item without ever paying for it, that could be considered theft by fraud. Some shoplifting examples involve stealing DVDs worth several hundred dollars, placing clothes in a bad that will defect their sensors so that you can walk out of the store without paying.
Every state has their own set of rules regarding theft. Most often, petty theft is considered a misdemeanor. In California, for example, the maximum penalty for a first-time petty theft conviction is a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in a county jail. Most petty theft cases typically get resolved with little or no jail time, but the penalties are set in place for those offenders that may need to be taught a lesson. If you are accused of shoplifting, there are a variety of different defenses that you may want to employ.
For one, if you did not intend to shoplift the item, then you can argue this in court. Maybe you accidentally placed an extra clothing item in your bag, or forgot that you had tried jewelry on and were still wearing it at the time that you exited the store. In the mayhem of Black Friday, it is easy to forget what you purchased and what may have been lying in your cart.
Another defense for shoplifting is the argument that the item you purchased actually belonged to you. Sometimes an individual can be accused of shoplifting an item that they may have already purchased from the store on a previous trip. Also, a store clerk may fail to take off the sensors on an item that you purchased, making it appear as though you shoplifted.
On hectic days like Black Friday, it is easy to forget to remove these sensors. If you want more information about shoplifting accusations or want to seek defense assistance from a reliable criminal defense attorney, then contact a lawyer at a local firm today! With a local lawyer on your side, you can trust that you will be assisted in the best way possible and will receive a fair trial.
