Hello and thank you for helping me. I am so scarred right no and any advice would be awesome. I am 17 years old and have been caught shoplifting at Walmart. The cosmetics I took would have come out to be about $40. I was taken to the back office and they took down my information such as name, address, what I looked like. The police was not called, but they told me I would receive a summon in the mail. How long will it take for me to get it? Is this the same as a civil demand? Will I still have to go to court? If so, what am looking at for punisment? I am so sorry for what I did. This is a first and LAST time thing for me. I am a good student and usually not this kind of person. Please just help me.

If you receive a summons in the mail it may be for petty theft. As the value of what you took wasn't over $100. You will have a court date. And you will enter a plea. What your looking at for punishment depends on where you live and the mood of the judge. Just be honest in court.

Hey. I'm seventeen as well and the same thing happened to me the day before yesterday. I got caught stealing about $40 worth of from a shop and they took down my information and took a close up picture of me. They said they had called the police and made me wait in the back room of the store for two hours until the police got there. The police, however, didn't seem to think it was an emergency, and didn't show up for so long that they just let me go. However, they made me sign a trespass thing, so if I go into that mall again within the next two years I will be fined heavily and possibly arrested. I was so scared as well, it's really a traumatizing thing. I'm so lucky that the police were busy...
Listen. I don't think they are going to send you to court, especially since the police were not called. They just want to scare you out of doing it again. I completely understand your situation, believe me. Just try to relax. What you did was not a horrible crime, you didn't kill someone, you didn't hurt anyone, you know? It will be completely fine either way. The worst that will happen is that you will have to pay a fine. Nothing will go on your record because it's under $50 and you are a minor. Don't worry.

I have the same problem like you, chicachicaboom. They called police but police did not come so they let me go. I signed a paper but I did not read it because I was so scare. Until now I do not know what is that paper for? After that around 2 weeks, I got an email ask me for the fine is $200. I paid it. The thing different with you is the stuff I stole was around $150 worth.
I know I was lucky that the police did not come. Do you think they will call me in the future? Is that affect me when I apply for a job in future? I was caught at Walmart. I will not apply job at Walmart but can I apply for some corporation as HEB, CVS... they are big corporations as Walmart.