The state is Ohio.
Yesterday my boyfriend and I went to a grocery store, he shoplifted $103. I did not actually shoplift but I was an accessory because I was with him.
I am a first time offender for shoplifting and have no prior record or expungements for anything.
He has a previously expunged shoplifting charge in another county in ohio.
(We are both in school to become real estate agents and are quite concerned about how this will affect our careers, so we are trying to figure out anyway to avoid getting a record)
We were not arrested, but they did take our social security numbers. The police officer asked the store security officer whether or not they would press charges, he said YES.
The officer then told us that we would have papers with our court dates sent to us in the mail.
Then they had us sign papers stating that 1) we concealed items and 2) we acknowledged that we were barred from all grocery stores of that name
My boyfriend initial both 1 and 2 and he signed the bottom of the form.
I initialed both 1 and 2 and signed the form, but then I blacked my initial on 1. because I did not steal or conceal anything, the security officer said this was fine...when I later talked to an attorney he said I should not have signed anything, as I did not take anything.
My questions are:
1. Is there anything that I can do as a first time offender as a compromise/alternative to having this on my record? A program? A reimbersment? Settlement?
2. Will my boyfriends previously expunged shoplifting charge be known to the judge and may this affect his sentancing? Is he now a 2nd time offender. Is a second charge of shoplifting a felony?
3. Is there anything a lawyer can do to get me off since I was not actively stealing, but rather in the company of someone who was?
4. I have heard of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediators, is there anything they can do for a shoplifting charge?
Yesterday my boyfriend and I went to a grocery store, he shoplifted $103. I did not actually shoplift but I was an accessory because I was with him.
I am a first time offender for shoplifting and have no prior record or expungements for anything.
He has a previously expunged shoplifting charge in another county in ohio.
(We are both in school to become real estate agents and are quite concerned about how this will affect our careers, so we are trying to figure out anyway to avoid getting a record)
We were not arrested, but they did take our social security numbers. The police officer asked the store security officer whether or not they would press charges, he said YES.
The officer then told us that we would have papers with our court dates sent to us in the mail.
Then they had us sign papers stating that 1) we concealed items and 2) we acknowledged that we were barred from all grocery stores of that name
My boyfriend initial both 1 and 2 and he signed the bottom of the form.
I initialed both 1 and 2 and signed the form, but then I blacked my initial on 1. because I did not steal or conceal anything, the security officer said this was fine...when I later talked to an attorney he said I should not have signed anything, as I did not take anything.
My questions are:
1. Is there anything that I can do as a first time offender as a compromise/alternative to having this on my record? A program? A reimbersment? Settlement?
2. Will my boyfriends previously expunged shoplifting charge be known to the judge and may this affect his sentancing? Is he now a 2nd time offender. Is a second charge of shoplifting a felony?
3. Is there anything a lawyer can do to get me off since I was not actively stealing, but rather in the company of someone who was?
4. I have heard of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediators, is there anything they can do for a shoplifting charge?
