Hi People,

I couldn't finish reading all of your post so here goes a really, really long one.

I was caught at the Bay in Vancouver. I don't really know what to do so I told them this was my third time, only after they repeatedly asked me and said I was lying when I told them it was my first.

---keep reading if you will---

My friend was with me. I was worried about her. She kept saying it was her first time stealing and the guy(I don't know what his job was, but he was wearing regular clothes, he seemed more of a criminal than we did) told me that he found her disgusting, and was going to make sure she gets stripped search, go to jail, and eventually get charged with Obstruction of Justice. I asked the guy if I would get a record, he said yes. The guy told me to return the things I took before the next day, which I did, but my friend didn't (this worries me more)

In the end when the police came he did his stuff. We were banned from Hbc for life and that particular mall for a year.

I guess pretty much everybody thinks I'm a s---ty person. I won't argue, but I'm still worried about my future. If anyone of you in a similar situation can tell me how I can avoid a criminal record I'd reli reli appreciate it. I feel your pain.

PS I'm going to the fingerprinting on November 29th and to court on December 6th.

I don't have a lawyer and I'm confused about the diversion thing. Should I plead guilty? And when is the best time to talk to the judge or anyone about applying for diversion, if I'm eligible? If in the end I do get charged, is the whole world going to know?

Good luck with all of u!

First its not a good idea to piggyback your question on someone else's. This can lead to confusion. You should start a new thread. So I've moved your question to its own thread.

I think you can forget the diversion thing if this was not your first time being caught. If it was your first time being caught you might still get a diversion. But you really need to consult an attorney on this. If you admitted stealing before whether you got caught or not, it might be used against you.

Forget about the store employee, he was just trying to scare you. But you should be scared. Also forget about what your friend did or didn't do, you need to be concerned with yourself.

Get an attorney right away.

Thanks. I just met with a lawyer and he didn't guarantee I would end up with a clean record, and its expensive. My mom told me to call up the bay is that a good idea?

Not really. They are unlikely to have any sympathy

I called and they said its out of their hands. I doubt it. You were right