Shoplifting, Larceny, Robbery, Theft Accused Of Complicity To Theft....Never Questioned!!

[MLLANDBAL]

I dont know if i have a case but would really like advice.....on january 13 2005 a freind and i went shopping at jcpenny's. i went to buy my daughter some clothes well i had went to khol's store before jcpenny's and bought her shirts so all i needed were pants for her. i had only ever been in this store a total of about three times in my whole life so i didn't know where anything was at.so when we went in i asked the freind where the girls section was she told me and we parted.well i found so many jeans that iwanted to purchase but i only had a limited amount of moneyso i picked up about three pair and was looking for more after about 20 minutes or so my freind came back around where i was and said that she would have to leave soon because her son was getting off the bus in a little while.i asked her if there was something i could put my purchases in and he said just put them in my bag and i'll carry them(they have nylon bags instead of shopping carts to carry your stuff in)i told her i wasn't sure wich ones i wanted to purchase she said well i want to go to the dressing rooms and try on theses two t-shirts so when we go in there you can get your stuff out and decide what you want then put the rest back,i said ok so i went around looking at more stuff and found other stuff that i thought was cute and on sale so i handed them to her,well when i finished she said i'm going to go try theses on now come with me,well i followed her to the dressing room and when we went in she got her shirts out and began to try them on i went through the stuff i had got and when i tallied it up i knew that if i spent that much my husband would get mad ,i wanted to get my daighter two pairs of good jeans for about $15.00 or$20.00 cause there were some on sale but when we were in there i told her that my favorite ones were a pair that were $30.00 so i would just be able to get her the one pair and i didn't really need the other shirts either since i had already purchased her some shirts and another pair of pants at khol's.i asked her where the rack wast hat you hung things up to put them back,she told me to just leave them with her because she knew where the rack was,i said ok and i walked out with what i wanted and stood outside with her 6 year old sonand talked to him while she tried on her shirts. when she came back out she said ok im ready and so i asked her where the counter to pay was she told and i headed in that direction well she stopped after we walked a few feet and turned right to go down a little hall and said the rack to hang stuff up to return it was down there so i turned to continue she went down the hall and came back out and up beside me then we went to the counter as we waited she stated that she had to use the bathroom i told her why dont you give me your card and i will pay for your stuff while you go she said ok and went i used her jcpenny's gift card to pay for her stuff and as i started to pay for mine she returned when i finishd we proceeded outside well when we got out onto the sidewalk a gentleman walked up to her and took her by the arm and said miss i think you have been stealing and asked her to go with him. i stood there bewildered with her son.when they got to the door to go in he looked back and asked if i was going to come in .i said ok because i dint know what else to do i had her son well he led her to a room and had me set in another i sat there for awhile and he came in to ask for my name and s.s# i asked why i was there and he said that the police had been called i said why i havent done anything and he looked at me sarcasticly and said "yeah ok"a little while later a police officer arrived and came in he read me my rights then asked me what had happened i told him i didnt know all i knew was that he came and told her he thought she was stealing and took her to room and left me in one and that was where i had been ever since . he then told me "well i can't arrest you because you weren't caught stealing but if i go and talk to her and she tells me you were involved or knew about it then i have to arrest you" he then asked me if i knew she had been stealing and i said no.he left and after about 20 more minute he came back in and said i have to arrest you he arrested me(didnt handcuff me)took me to the police car and i was taken in a booked. i am now awaiting trial and no longer have contact with my so called freind because i was angry that she would lie on me.well i pleaded not guilty at my first hearing and that is why i am awaiting another march the 18th and i decided to go and get a copy of the statement my freind had made to the officer to see if i could give it to a lawyer to see if they could help me and low and behold to my suprise when i read the statement in it my freind told the officer that i had nothing to do with her stealing and that i hadn't known she was stealing. can you tell me why i was arrested then?when he told me that was the only way he could arrest me? and i have a clean record?never been in trouble in my whole life? and she did have somewhat of a record she had been arrested before for driving under suspension,and had been caught more than once.she also had her purse searched and the officer took a statement. i never had my purse searched and i never gave a statement ..heck i wasn't even spoken to or notified of anything except when he first got there and when he said i was under arrest and that was it.i wasn't even told anything at the police station just searched wich was so humiliating i wanted to cry because a female officer had to search me and put her hand up my shirt and feel under my chest in front of about four or more male officers to see if i had anything concealed in there then packed off to a holding cell where they brought a tour group through who stared at me through the glass like they were at the zoo and repeatedly had male inmates who were working and cleaning leaning in and leering at me through my cell window.i couldn't even go to the bathroom because my cell was in front of the area where all the officers counter was and they were all there sitting and standing the whole time and i had a toilet and a bench in the cell and all the covering the toilet had was a little partition that rose about a foot above the toilet...wich means when you set down they cant see your exposed area but they can when you got to pull your pants up and down and who wants people to watch them wipe or for that matter even watch them sit on a toilet even if you couldnt see the private area?and the onlt time i was told anything was when my husband came to bail me out(and i had to call him several times because he tried to call to talk to me and they said inmates werent allowed to receive calls)and they gave me my stuff except they kept some of my money amd issued the rest in an inmate check ,they handed me a paper and said i had to appear to answer to the charge of complicity to theft.....and i went home...i also read in the paper a few days later that the girl i was with had been arrested for theft ...and drug abuse.do i have any right to be upset was i wrongfully arrested can i fight this charge...this humiliation?