Shoplifting, Larceny, Robbery, Theft PLEASE HELP ME... shoplifting in a CA walmart...very scared and confused.

[omfgwhatdoido]

please someone tell me what to do...
i am a college student in sacramento and i got caught stealing about $20 worth of makeup from walmart. i signed some papers and then they did a sight and release and sent me home telling me that i would be getting a summons for court and also a bill from walmart.

is there any way to get this removed from my record?
will i ever be able to shop at walmart again?
do i need to talk to a public defender?
what are the likely repercussions from this?
will i always have to say that i was arrested after this? or is there some way to get this taken off?
what happens when i go to court?

i am really scared and really broke. does anyone have any suggestions for how i can pay for the fees as well? are there ways to pay for this in installments?

if anyone can give me a step by step of what to do... please do.
i cant let my parents know about this. i would get disowned... they are staunch christians. is there any way to avoid them finding out? i am 20 years old but i live at home and am still considered a dependent.

PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME. I am scared.

i just applied for a waitressing job at a restaurant by where i live... do i have to disclose this? will i have to disclose this to any jobs i apply for in the future?

 

[omfgwhatdoido]

btw...

by the way i have a clean record with theft...
i do however have a few speeding tickets and a seat belt violation.. does this affect my case at all?

 

[NYClex]

You would want to make sure that the prosecutor agrees to charge you only with an infraction and not with a misdemeanor. This is the law:

490.1. (a) Petty theft, where the value of the money, labor, real
or personal property taken is of a value which does not exceed fifty
dollars ($50), may be charged as a misdemeanor or an infraction, at
the discretion of the prosecutor, provided that the person charged
with the offense has no other theft or theft-related conviction.
(b) Any offense charged as an infraction under this section shall
be subject to the provisions of subdivision (d) of Section 17 and
Sections 19.6 and 19.7.
A violation which is an infraction under this section is
punishable by a fine not exceeding two hundred fifty dollars ($250).

If it is being treated as an infraction it should not be on the record. If it is being charged as a misdemeanor it will be, but there are ways to "expunge" a record.

You should consult a criminal defense attorney about this.

 

[Naetnalta]

I spoke with a defense attorney about my case (in Louisiana), and he told me an infraction would show up on a criminal record, so getting into diversion is still the best option. Do infractions differ from state to state?

 

[NYClex]

every state makes its own rules