Hello,
I feel terrible, I've never done anything like this before, I just got greedy and chose not to pay for some items that amounted to 47$ and now I'm banned from the store and I'm getting a summons. I just turned 18 and the person taking care of the incident told me that if I had gone over 50$ I couldve gone to jail. I want to know if it is true that when I pay the summons the crime is cleared and how much the summons is going to be. He said that it would be twice or three times the amount I shoplifted, but I want to know exactly how much that is. I am so scared and I don't know what to do. People are going to think of me as a different person and I am not that type of person, I'm not untrustworthy and I do not have sticky fingers, I was just thinking like a very dumb person at the moment and I got penalized. The first and last time I do this I get caught and I want to know if it will really go into my record and for how long and how much the summons is actually going to be and how long do I have to pay it? And should I tell my mom and/or will she find out on her own if I don't tell her?

Confused young one...
Please answer back.

I'm in New York city by the way... :confused: :(

That sounds logical that you will pay two or three times the amount of the item, but you'll have to find out in court as to the exact amount. You can, although I'm unsure of the process, have your record cleaned.

XenoSapien

Have you actually gotten the summons yet? Once you pay it, that amounts to a guilty plea and no, the crime isn't cleared, it goes on your record as a shoplifting conviction. You might want to try negotiating with the store by giving them a written apology in which you offer to reimburse them and agree to stay away from the store. I'd suggest an amount that's roughly double the $47 you stole, say $100, in exchange for them not pressing charges against you and calling off the summons. Just make sure that all offers and agreements are put in writing and get a receipt for anything you give them. If the complaint has already been signed, then they can simply agree not to report to court to testify against you. Then, on the scheduled court date, you show up and plead not guilty and say nothing more (your 5th amendment rights.) In the absences of any witnesses to testify against you, the judge will drop the charges. Now, if they insist on refusing to settle with you and going through with pressing charges, then make sure you let the judge know that you did offer to try and settle with them, hence the reason for the written apology, so that you can submit a copy to the judge.