Caught Shoplifting in CT. Totally & Completely out of character for me... Got a Criminal Attorney who tells me I'm going to be fine & I'm not going to have a record... Not too sure how this is going to workout... I'm so stressed, this is going to cost me a pretty-penny... I was in the process of switching from one job to another for a $4/hr pay raise that I had to hold off on so they don't find out this happened because not only do they do background checks... They also can see pending arrests... Never got cuffed, but did get a court summons which is still considered an arrest. Oh God, but the worst part of it all is the mental anguish I'm going through... I feel like a failure, I feel lower than low... Since that day, it's all I think about every moment of my waking day... it's debilitating... I'm scared & I don't want to lose my present job because if they'd ever find out... They'd walk me right out the door... I'm mentally & emotionally drained from this extremely stupid mistake... I'm not even a young adult... I'm a grown adult... almost 40 & if my kids found out I'd be devastated... I'm too old for this crap... I guess I could say it was on my Bucket-List but the Truth is... It wasn't... I wasn't myself at that moment...

Not to worry. You will pay court costs and a fine. If you hired a lawyer he can put in a plea for your record to be expunged after a period. Even with a public defender it is probably automatically entered at time of judgement. Since this is your first offense that should be all there is to it. Call a lawyer out of the phone book that offers free consultation and they will tell you exactly how it works in your particular area.

This is less of a legal question and more of an emotional problem at this moment. You have an Attorney (something which dericdomino seems to have missed) and that Attorney can give you the best advice both from the position of what will happen and how to get beyond this.

There is also a defense when you are stressed, act out of character. I can't address Connecticut but has your Attorney suggested it?

With no prior record it is likely you will may get away without a record. Work with your attorney.

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There is also a defense when you are stressed, act out of character. ...

Except that every criminal ever born acted "out of character" the first time he or she committed a crime.

OP is stressed now. He/she didn't say that she/he was stressed at the time the crime was committed.

Except that every criminal ever born acted "out of character" the first time he or she committed a crime.

OP is stressed now. He/she didn't say that she/he was stressed at the time the crime was committed.


I'm not arguing either point. I AM saying it's a possible defense.