stealing merchandise I paid for?

john k

john k

New Member
Jurisdiction
Washington
so I was in Washington state shopping for a saltwater coral I found one I wanted I asked the employee how much he said he wasn't sure and would call his boss I was about to leave and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead so I bought it couple days later Im home in Montana (5 hours away)the owner calls me wanting it back saying it was a mistake and its worth more than I paid and if I didnt give it back its stealing and he would come find me and make trouble for me idk what that means but I dont want legal trouble does he have any ground to stand on about this issue?
Since I paid with cash on this deal and the employee did not give me a receipt at the time of purchase he is threatening to defame me and file theft charges by saying I offered the employee the 50 and when he didnt take my offer I waited for him to turn his back and somehow got into the fish tank without him noticing grabbed what I wanted found a bag somehow to fill up with water so what I supposedly just stole wouldn't die and ran out of the store all the while the employee was oblivious.... mind you this store is tiny and the counter where the employee was at is literally right behind the wall the item I'm a accused of theft is located.
 
If you are contacted by the police about this matter, you would be wise to consult with a criminal defense attorney. Otherwise, ignore the guy.
 
I left my number to the employee when I was leaving in case his boss called him back I left was sitting in my car and the employee came out to my car and offered to sell it, I bought it on the spot, the owner called me 2 days later
 
john k said:
I left my number to the employee when I was leaving in case his boss called him back I left was sitting in my car and the employee came out to my car and offered to sell it, I bought it on the spot, the owner called me 2 days later
Click to expand...


Ok if wrong im sorry but again this doesnt seem to fit. Heres why

so I was in Washington state shopping for a saltwater coral I found one I wanted I asked the employee how much he said he wasn't sure and would call his boss I was about to leave and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead so I bought it couple days later Why buy it a few days later? Why not then? Did you talk to same employee? Im home in Montana (5 hours away)the owner calls me wanting it back saying it was a mistake and its worth more than I paid and if I didnt give it back its stealing and he would come find me and make trouble for me idk what that means but I dont want legal trouble does he have any ground to stand on about this issue? Why you gave number makes no sense either
Since I paid with cash on this deal and the employee did not give me a receipt at the time of purchase he is threatening to defame me and file theft charges by saying I offered the employee the 50 and when he didnt take my offer I waited for him to turn his back and somehow got into the fish tank without him noticing grabbed what I wanted found a bag somehow to fill up with water so what I supposedly just stole wouldn't die and ran out of the store all the while the employee was oblivious.... mind you this store is tiny and the counter where the employee was at is literally right behind the wall the item I'm a accused of theft is located.

If you want help you need to be honest with us
 
john k said:
so I was in Washington state shopping for a saltwater coral I found one I wanted I asked the employee how much he said he wasn't sure and would call his boss I was about to leave and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours
Click to expand...


Live corals are one of the most ecologically responsible options for those who operate salt water fish tanks.

Most such coral are grown in captivity and sold from a farm type operation.

Starter corals cost about 40 buck$, larger packs go used by collectors operating larger tanks cost around 200 buck$.

If you paid a store employee 50 buck$ in ca$h to purchase a small live coral, that would seem price appropriate.

More UNIQUE coral options cost 500 buck$ or MORE.

In your estimation, as you appear to be a savvy marine specimen owner, had you sold the coral, what would you have charged?

We all have many rights as citizens of the USA.

One of those RIGHTS is "the RIGHT to remain silent" if questioned by law enforcement.

We also have a constitutional right NOT to be forced to testify against our interests in criminal matters.

In fact, a criminal defendant is NOT required to prove she didn't break the law, she can stand mute before the court and FORCE the government to prove the charges against her.

If, however, your contact details were obtained because the store owner had a video recording which revealed your vehicle license plate details, this could become troublesome for you IF the coral purchased retailed for $600.

If the coral specimen retailed for $75, you're still in misdemeanor territory.

If the specimen retails for $755, you're now in felony theft territory, insofar as WA state law is concerned.

That could bode poorly for you, mate.

==========================================

Theft in the Second Degree / Class C Felony Theft
A theft offense in the state of Washington is classified as "theft in the second degree" (a class C felony under Washington law) if the value of the property or services stolen is more than $750 but not more than $5,000 (and as long as the property is not a firearm or motor vehicle). ( § 9A.56.040.)

Theft in the Third Degree / Gross Misdemeanor Theft
The lowest-level theft offense in the state of Washington is "theft in the third degree," which involves the theft of property or services of a value that does not exceed $750.

Theft in the third degree is classified as a "gross misdemeanor" under Washington law (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 9A.56.050), punishable by imprisonment in county jail for a maximum of one year, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. ( § 9A.20.021(2).)
 
Note to the OP: It appears that your failure to use something resembling proper capitalization and punctuation may be causing some folks to misinterpret what you wrote. I suggest you think about that and, perhaps, repost your initial post with proper capitalization.

In case you're unclear what I'm talking about, consider the following:

You wrote:

"so I was in Washington state shopping for a saltwater coral I found one I wanted I asked the employee how much he said he wasn't sure and would call his boss I was about to leave and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead so I bought it couple days later Im home in Montana (5 hours away)the owner calls me wanting it back saying it was a mistake and its worth more than I paid and if I didnt give it back its stealing and he would come find me and make trouble for me idk what that means but I dont want legal trouble does he have any ground to stand on about this issue?"

That's 132 words without any punctuation (other than a couple parentheses and a question mark at the end).

How are we to know where one sentence ends and the next begins? In particular, pay attention to the part I highlighted above. That could be interpreted as follows:

1. "I was about to leave, and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours. I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead, so I bought it. [A] couple days later, I'm home in Montana (5 hours away), [and] the owner calls me wanting it back. . . ."

OR

2. "I was about to leave, and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours. I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead, so I bought it [a] couple days later. I'm home in Montana (5 hours away), [and] the owner calls me wanting it back. . . ."

Now...I happen to think #1 is a far more reasonable interpretation, but "shrinkmaster" went with interpretation #2.

This is why punctuation and capitalization, which we all presumably learned in elementary and middle school, is important.
 
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zddoodah said:
Note to the OP: It appears that your failure to use something resembling proper capitalization and punctuation may be causing some folks to misinterpret what you wrote. I suggest you think about that and, perhaps, repost your initial post with proper capitalization.

In case you're unclear what I'm talking about, consider the following:

You wrote:

"so I was in Washington state shopping for a saltwater coral I found one I wanted I asked the employee how much he said he wasn't sure and would call his boss I was about to leave and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead so I bought it couple days later Im home in Montana (5 hours away)the owner calls me wanting it back saying it was a mistake and its worth more than I paid and if I didnt give it back its stealing and he would come find me and make trouble for me idk what that means but I dont want legal trouble does he have any ground to stand on about this issue?"

That's 132 words without any punctuation (other than a couple parentheses and a question mark at the end).

How are we to know where one sentence ends and the next begins. In particular, pay attention to the part I highlighted above. That could be interpreted as follows:

1. "I was about to leave, and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours. I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead, so I bought it. [A] couple days later, I'm home in Montana (5 hours away), [and] the owner calls me wanting it back. . . ."

OR

2. "I was about to leave, and he came up to me and said 50 dollars and its yours. I assumed his boss gave him the go ahead, so I bought it [a] couple days later. I'm home in Montana (5 hours away), [and] the owner calls me wanting it back. . . ."

Now...I happen to think #1 is a far more reasonable interpretation, but "shrinkmaster" went with interpretation #2.

This is why punctuation and capitalization, which we all presumably learned in elementary and middle school, is important.
Click to expand...
:cool:
 
army judge said:
Live corals are one of the most ecologically responsible options for those who operate salt water fish tanks.

Most such coral are grown in captivity and sold from a farm type operation.

Starter corals cost about 40 buck$, larger packs go used by collectors operating larger tanks cost around 200 buck$.

If you paid a store employee 50 buck$ in ca$h to purchase a small live coral, that would seem price appropriate.

More UNIQUE coral options cost 500 buck$ or MORE.

In your estimation, as you appear to be a savvy marine specimen owner, had you sold the coral, what would you have charged?

We all have many rights as citizens of the USA.

One of those RIGHTS is "the RIGHT to remain silent" if questioned by law enforcement.

We also have a constitutional right NOT to be forced to testify against our interests in criminal matters.

In fact, a criminal defendant is NOT required to prove she didn't break the law, she can stand mute before the court and FORCE the government to prove the charges against her.

If, however, your contact details were obtained because the store owner had a video recording which revealed your vehicle license plate details, this could become troublesome for you IF the coral purchased retailed for $600.

If the coral specimen retailed for $75, you're still in misdemeanor territory.

If the specimen retails for $755, you're now in felony theft territory, insofar as WA state law is concerned.

That could bode poorly for you, mate.

==========================================

Theft in the Second Degree / Class C Felony Theft
A theft offense in the state of Washington is classified as "theft in the second degree" (a class C felony under Washington law) if the value of the property or services stolen is more than $750 but not more than $5,000 (and as long as the property is not a firearm or motor vehicle). ( § 9A.56.040.)

Theft in the Third Degree / Gross Misdemeanor Theft
The lowest-level theft offense in the state of Washington is "theft in the third degree," which involves the theft of property or services of a value that does not exceed $750.

Theft in the third degree is classified as a "gross misdemeanor" under Washington law (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 9A.56.050), punishable by imprisonment in county jail for a maximum of one year, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. ( § 9A.20.021(2).)
Click to expand...


There is no video surveillance in the place and if there is that alone is proof in itself that I did not steal anything, like he is now claiming I did and that there was no cash transaction. I'm starting to know more about this hobby but what I wanted I had never seen before and I didnt even know the name of it that is why I asked they employee specifically how much and what it was and he is the one who gave me a price so honestly I have no clue what I would have offered or would sell it for so in my mind at the time I thought 50 was a bit high but I did it anyway because I thought it would look good in my setup.
 
john k said:
There is no video surveillance in the place and if there is that alone is proof in itself that I did not steal anything, like he is now claiming I did and that there was no cash transaction. I'm starting to know more about this hobby but what I wanted I had never seen before and I didnt even know the name of it that is why I asked they employee specifically how much and what it was and he is the one who gave me a price so honestly I have no clue what I would have offered or would sell it for so in my mind at the time I thought 50 was a bit high but I did it anyway because I thought it would look good in my setup.
Click to expand...

Again...punctuation is important.

Sigh....
 
john k said:
There is no video surveillance in the place
Click to expand...


What you appear to face here, You said, employee said (who may have been a THIEF), and what the owner claims he knows.

My advice, do nothing, say nothing, as you have no duty to assist in your lynching.

If the police do come calling, asking YOU to tell your story, say this, "I want a lawyer. I will say this once, I wish to avail myself of my RIGHT to remain silent."

The only questions you should answer are: name, date of birth, address, social security number.

Cooperate, remain calm, be polite; if you are arrested, but resist the urge to blab.

This law professor advises WHY you should shut your piehole:

 

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