Shoplifting, Larceny, Robbery, Theft caught stealing

[samantha k]

my friend was caught stealing a product, he was stopped right before he exited the chain store and taken to a room with the lp dude and some other people. they asked him if he stole anything else? he didnt..they asked him if they could look through his bag and he let them see nothing else was there. item taken was under $20. when he expressed his concern about a criminal record and they said that due to cooperation they would not be contacting the police...said that it is an issue between store and him.

they took identification, wrote down his current address (which he thinks they have wrong on accidnt), he signed a document stating admittance and said he may receive a letter in the mail. told him not to return (to just that store) and snapped a pic and was on his way. now he is worried that they may have filed a police report despite saying they would not involve the po... so he wants to call the lp manager and ask and also make sure they have his address correct. any advice u could offer would be great

 

[cbg]

My advice is to tell your "friend" not to be any more stupid that he has already been. The last thing he wants to be doing is drawing the manager's attention to himself. If they've filed a police report he'll find out in due course. Otherwise, he needs to sit down and shut up and not go waving his arms around bothering the manager, who just might change his mind about filing a report if he's annoyed enough.

 

[mightymoose]

Do not call them.
If he receives a letter demanding money he can visit a local attorney for advice as to whether he should pay it. He has no legal obligation to pay unless a court orders him to. He could very well ignore them with no consequence.
An attorney can advise as to how things are typically handled in your area.

 

[samantha k]

noted, thank you.

 

[shrinkmaster]

I am a Retail Theft Consultant and answer questions like yours daily. The problem your "friend" has is he gave (on accident I understand) the wrong address. The letter they are sending (Civil Demand) is a Civil action (see links below) if the address is wrong the store "could" take other actions including filing a criminal complaint. What your friend does next is up to him/her but again when the store finds out he gave wrong address this could provoke an action your friend could regret.

A recent writing of mine - Parent Nook Forums

Civil Recovery