Walk It Through: The Accusation at the Store
A security guard, an unpaid item under $1,500, and the line at three stores in 72 hours.
Leaving a store, a shopper is stopped by security over an item that was not scanned.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A small shoplifting accusation by a store. A civil demand letter, a theft from an employer, and a stolen firearm are left out of this one.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Class A misdemeanorThe most serious class of misdemeanor, up to one year in the county jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
- Person crimeA crime the code labels person rather than nonperson; burglary of a dwelling is a person felony, while burglary of another building is a nonperson felony.
- Severity levelThe rank of a felony on the sentencing grid, whose other axis is criminal history; each box gives a range in months of imprisonment.