Hi I'm 19 and I got caught shoplifting and I was charged with theft under $5000. This is my first time having anything to do with something like this.
I did not speak to the police, I think I spoke to a security officer at the shopping mall, and they did not take my finger prints but gave me a yellow paper that said that I was banned from the store for 1 year. They said that I was going to get a ticket in the mail for about $50. Does anyone know if the fine is all I have to do and then I will be fine, or I have to go to court?
Im really afraid, I go to university and that day I made the biggest mistake of my life.. and I don't want to screw up my life because of it. Oh and I live in Ontario.
So the questions are:
1) Does the yellow paper saying that I cannot enter the store for one year mean that that's all they are going to do besides the fine?
2) Do I get a criminal record? How can I erase it?
3) What should I do? I can't tell my parents about this...

Thanks a lot

Hi, I'm currently in the same situation as you, and my court date is in less than 2months, since you mentioned that you were "charged", which means the cop also gave u a slip with a date to court and for fingerprint. By any means, find a lawyer, it is the best recommendation I can give u. What happens is that most likely u will be offered a diversion for first time offenders. Criminal Records will be wiped and charges will be dropped after you have completed the required work assigned by the judge. Good luck and Stay strong!

The cop didn't give me a slip with a court date
He only gave me a yellow paper saying that I was not allowed back in the store... :SS:
Any ideas??
I'm really stressed.. and I don't know if I should tell my parents.. ha I'm an idiot.. I don't know why I did it..

Maybe there wasn't enough evidence to put charges on u, what did the cop say to u?

He wasn't a cop
He was a security guard from the store
He just said that I was going to get a fine in the mail for 50 dollars... and that's it...
I'm just waiting for it
I'm really nervous and stressed about it... he ONLY GAVE ME A YELLOW SLIP SAYING THAT I WAS NOT ALLOWED BACK IN THE STORE AND THAT I WAS Going to GET A FINE IN THE MAIL FOR 50 DOLLARS... THATS IT... :S:S

Calm down first of all. If the store decides to file charges against you, then you will receive a summons for a court hearing. Until you receive that summons, you have not been charged with a crime and have no criminal record. So until you receive such a summons you do NOTHING! I know this may be frustrating and nervewracking, but it's the only thing you CAN do. The more time that goes by without receiving such a summons, the less likely you are to get one. If 6 months go by, then you can consider yourself clear.

If you receive a notice of a fine, you have to look more closely at who issued it. If its was issued by an Ontario court, then you can enquire from the court what it means as far as criminal record goes. However, if the fine is from the store itself, then there is no criminal record.

From what you have told us, I doubt if the store will file criminal charges at this point. But if you do enter the store before the year is out, they may.

Scott,

Thanks a lot for your advice. It was helpful.
The thing that I don't really remember is if I was approached by a cop or by a security officer. I guess that's an important detail.
This happened on Monday... 5 days ago. If they do send that summons, how long do you think they will take? Next Monday I may go to a walk in clinic to ask for some advice.
Thanks Again

If you were stopped by a police officer, you would proably have either been issued a summons or taken to a police station to be booked.

There is really no way to guess how long it might take. But I would do NOTHING in the interim. You do not want to open a can of worms, by reminding them.

I got a letter from the Salvation Army courthouse saying that I would have to do some volunteer work. I think that if I do that I won't have a criminal record, has anyone heard of something like that?

Salvation Army courthouse? What the heck would that be? You might be assigned community service as an alternative to jail time. You might have a plea bargain that requires community service and probation and when the probation is up the record is expunged.

But you seem to be very confused about what has happened. I really think you should consult an attorney.

Can I ask you some questions? I need help