Theft And Shoplifting
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-518 — graded by value, with a store's right to hold a person a reasonable time
| Value | The class |
|---|---|
| ValueFive thousand dollars or more | The classClass IIA felony |
| ValueOne thousand five hundred dollars or more, less than five thousand | The classClass IV felony |
| ValueMore than five hundred dollars, less than one thousand five hundred | The classClass I misdemeanor |
| ValueFive hundred dollars or less | The classClass II misdemeanor |
A second conviction at five hundred dollars or less is a Class I misdemeanor, and a third a Class IV felony, counting priors from no more than ten years before.
Shoplifting is concealing store goods, switching or altering price tags, moving goods between containers, or defeating a security device, with intent to take them without paying.
A store may hold a person. A merchant or employee with probable cause to believe goods were taken may detain the person in a reasonable manner for a reasonable length of time to recover them.
Any peace officer may arrest without a warrant a person the officer has probable cause to believe committed larceny in a retail or wholesale establishment.
Keeping property known to be lost, mislaid or delivered by mistake, without reasonable steps to return it, is theft too.
Amounts taken in one scheme may be added together to grade the offense. A particular charge is a question for a licensed Nebraska attorney.
Sources for this section (5)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-518 — Grading of theft offenses
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-511.01 — Theft by shoplifting
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-514 — Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-402.01 — Shoplifters; detention
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-402.02 — Shoplifters; arrest without warrant
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Nebraska attorney.