k, back in 2003 I was caught shoplifting, (I thought it was cool at the time , I was 12 :S) my parents don't know. I had to go into this room and give up the make up I robbed and give them my info but my big sister covered for me when they called and there was a cop there and everything.anyways I'm a canadian and I don't have a valid ID card yet and I was wondering if I went to get one at the DMV would it come up that I had a criminal record,because I don't want my parents to find out... please help and if you have any extra information or questions just tell me. O

You don't have a valid ID card... umm, what about your health card?


Did the cop arrest you?

The answer is most likely no since your parents never found out.

In which case, you do NOT have a criminal record.

I once had a cop visit me as well when I was your age. I wasn't arrested, but the cop gave me a whole long story of how if I ever did it again, I would go to jail, etc.


One other note: You won't be denied a driver's licence if you have a criminal record... not for shoplifting. That is, if you even have one.

So this is basically what happened:
We( me and my friend) took all of the stuff, went in the bathroom and took off the bar codes and stuff so the beepers wouldn't go off, and we were walking out the front entrance when this security guy walked in front of us and was like will you please turn around and follow me and then he said he was watching us the whole time we were in there, and saw what we were doing and knew we were going to try to shoplift the make up, and we went into this room and he asked us our names and phone numbers and parents names and stuff, and all of our information, and then he called my house and my friends house. When he called my house my mom wasn;t home from work yet, and my older sister picked up the phone and said that she was 18 and that she could consent for them to let me go home and stuff, and then the security guy called the cop station and we had to wait in there for like 2 hours for a cop to come, and then he filled out some forms and stuff, and then asked us all these questions like were you going to sell it, blah blah and our height and weight and all these questions, and then he said all right you can go and then I left and got the bus home and I thought my mom would know, but she never.

Oh and I need a valid ID card to go on a vacation, would it come up if you were getting a passport too?

How can you tell if your being arrested?

If you were arrested you would have went to the police station, and go to see the judge ( magistrate perhaps in your area) your parents would have had to come down and get you and sign for you to get out, then you would have to pay a fine, pehaps do community service and the such.

They did a incident report on it, so there is a written record, but these types of things don't show up on criminal reports Now if you latter run for office or become a movie star someone will find these records and make them public.

This is the problem with living with a lie or secret, it always comes back to haunt you. Personally you should be honest with your parents, one day this story will come out, and the longer you keep it a secret the more pain it will cause.

Thanks:)

Will anything about that incident come up if I'm at the dmv getting an id card?

Oh, and I'm a canadian citizen, I'm not sure if anyone thought I was american. Just thought id let you know :)


Thanks so much

This statement is WRONG.

While Fr Chuck gave you the American perspective on it, allow me to give you the Canadian one.

Once you turn 18, anything that happened to you criminally before your 18th birthday can not become public knowledge.

So when you are 35 or whatever, no newspaper can print, no TV station can report, on this incident. Unless of course they change the law by then…but assuming they don't.

No it will not. Nothing will come up based on the information you have provided.

Nothing to worry about.