worriedtodeath
New Member
First off, my heartfelt thanks to those of you who are reading this long post to help me and to give me advice. My deepest thanks to you...for your unselfish advice and time.
So here goes...I was attracted to shop at a local department store for some gifts to give my mother. I selected a whole bunch of clothes and paid for all of them, except for two sweaters that had landed on the bottom of the clothing cart, unbeknownst to me. I was so sure that I had paid for them, but I was stopped at the exit of this department store. What followed was 4 hours of the most pain and suffering I had ever gone through. I was so sad and miserable and taken by surprise that I tried pinching myself to see if it was a dream.
I was charged with shoplifting--and went thru the same procedure that all shoplifters go thru--ie, i was handcuffed by police who arrived at scene, had my picture taken, and was fingerprinted. i was then released on the spot, and in my hands was a ticket that I had been given that said that i had to appear in court on a specific date. I have been charged with PC 488--Petty Theft (the clothes came up to be around $ 220!!! since the security ppl charged me retail for those clothes even though the sale prices were much less than that).
Personally, I am very angry about this and feel that this chain of events was so absurd--charging me for something that I didn't do. What I need your help on is to think of ways to help me get out of this mess, and any tips you may have are well appreciated.
This incident happened near my hometown, and I live in the state of California. A few details that make my case special is this: I didn't have a driver's license or any kind of ID on me, and the store theft officers and police officers all were writing down info coming from my mouth. I gave them my real name, but in my angst and frustration and fear, gave them a fictitious (but-closely-related) 1) street address, 2) social security number, and 3) date of birth. However, they do have a pretty accurate physical description of me, my hair color, height and weight.
I want to think of ways to completely avoid this mess!!! I have spent many days reading all hundreds of posts on this website and am aware that I will get a "bench warrant" if I just choose to ignore and fail to show up on my assigned court date. My questions are...
1) If I do get a bench warrant for not showing up, will the police really come to my colllege, home, or work and just take me away, given the circumstances of my "crime?" Will they show up and/or stalk me with guns outstretched, in a scene similar to those fugitive shows?
2) Since I provided the store theft clerks and police with altered versions of my Social security number and date of birth, will this record of shoplifting still go on my true, personal record, even though the police don't have all the accurate information about me? Is it possible that they find out my true info in some big database?
3) Since I have not been booked or gone to court yet, are the charges not filed yet? ie, are charges only going to be filed once I show up in court, or have they been filed already? [I guess this question also relates to my question #2, on whether or not they have really found the "real" me.]
4) Do you think it would work if I just pretend this never happened and just move on, assuming that the police never find my true identity, even though I gave very close, but altered version of my information?
5) And finally, any last tips or loopholes that you think I should be aware of.
Once again, please accept my deepest gratitude for your help and support. I thank you for your time and for your assistance!
So here goes...I was attracted to shop at a local department store for some gifts to give my mother. I selected a whole bunch of clothes and paid for all of them, except for two sweaters that had landed on the bottom of the clothing cart, unbeknownst to me. I was so sure that I had paid for them, but I was stopped at the exit of this department store. What followed was 4 hours of the most pain and suffering I had ever gone through. I was so sad and miserable and taken by surprise that I tried pinching myself to see if it was a dream.
I was charged with shoplifting--and went thru the same procedure that all shoplifters go thru--ie, i was handcuffed by police who arrived at scene, had my picture taken, and was fingerprinted. i was then released on the spot, and in my hands was a ticket that I had been given that said that i had to appear in court on a specific date. I have been charged with PC 488--Petty Theft (the clothes came up to be around $ 220!!! since the security ppl charged me retail for those clothes even though the sale prices were much less than that).
Personally, I am very angry about this and feel that this chain of events was so absurd--charging me for something that I didn't do. What I need your help on is to think of ways to help me get out of this mess, and any tips you may have are well appreciated.
This incident happened near my hometown, and I live in the state of California. A few details that make my case special is this: I didn't have a driver's license or any kind of ID on me, and the store theft officers and police officers all were writing down info coming from my mouth. I gave them my real name, but in my angst and frustration and fear, gave them a fictitious (but-closely-related) 1) street address, 2) social security number, and 3) date of birth. However, they do have a pretty accurate physical description of me, my hair color, height and weight.
I want to think of ways to completely avoid this mess!!! I have spent many days reading all hundreds of posts on this website and am aware that I will get a "bench warrant" if I just choose to ignore and fail to show up on my assigned court date. My questions are...
1) If I do get a bench warrant for not showing up, will the police really come to my colllege, home, or work and just take me away, given the circumstances of my "crime?" Will they show up and/or stalk me with guns outstretched, in a scene similar to those fugitive shows?
2) Since I provided the store theft clerks and police with altered versions of my Social security number and date of birth, will this record of shoplifting still go on my true, personal record, even though the police don't have all the accurate information about me? Is it possible that they find out my true info in some big database?
3) Since I have not been booked or gone to court yet, are the charges not filed yet? ie, are charges only going to be filed once I show up in court, or have they been filed already? [I guess this question also relates to my question #2, on whether or not they have really found the "real" me.]
4) Do you think it would work if I just pretend this never happened and just move on, assuming that the police never find my true identity, even though I gave very close, but altered version of my information?
5) And finally, any last tips or loopholes that you think I should be aware of.
Once again, please accept my deepest gratitude for your help and support. I thank you for your time and for your assistance!
