What do I do if I was cited for shoplifting because I walked out of the store by accident with a product?

What do I do if I was cited for shoplifting because I walked out of the store by accident with a product?

I was returning an item and was in the store for 4 hours throughout the process. At one point while I was waiting I was looking at a couple of items. When I was done at one help desk and I was directed to wait elsewhere for more help, I placed everything in a shopping bag I had brought with me with what I was returning. I was there for at least an hour after that, trying to fix another issue and forgot that I had put the items in the shopping bag. When it was finally fixed, I walked out with the product, having forgotten in was in my bag. I was then grabbed by the security guard and brought back in the store and arrested.

Asked on July 2, 2014 under Criminal Law, California

Answers:

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