What are the chances of a person being given jail time for their 1st offense of retail theft if they have an over-ringing charge from a previous employer?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What are the chances of a person being given jail time for their 1st offense of retail theft if they have an over-ringing charge from a previous employer?
When leaving a store, I failed to pay for 2 blouses in my cart. Security pulled me aside and took me in a room and charged me with retail theft. I barely got a few sentences out. He took my information and asked if I was ever caught shoplifting before. I said no but had an over-ringing charge from over a year ago and wasn’t sure if that would be considered retail theft. The security man came back and said tht over-ringing is a different form of retail theft and nothing came up in his system on me having a prior offense. What/s the odds of me doing jail time
Asked on June 21, 2012 under Criminal Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
B.H.F., Member, Texas State Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
With just about any criminal case, there is always a "chance" that you could be given jail time. However, if you don't have a criminal history and this really is your first retail theft offense, then you have a very good shot at alternative forms of sentencing that will not result in jail time. This usually involves paying restitution, completeing community service, and placement on probation. If the prior "over-ringing" charge didn't show up, it's possible that your former employer never went through with the charges. Penalities increase as your number of charges increase--- so you may want to hire an attorney that can negotiate some type of conditional dismissal--like payment of restitution in exchange for..... The facts you describe are also a bit thin. You may want an attorney to review these facts to see if there are any specialized defenses that could get you an outright dismissal.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.