Walk It Through: The Store Detention
A shirt in a bag, a stop at the door, a wait for the police, and a letter demanding money.
A teenager walks out of a store with a shirt in a backpack. A loss prevention worker stops her at the door.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One shirt and one teenager. Theft above four hundred dollars, a store that uses force, a false accusation and a juvenile court diversion are not worked through here.
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 1 misdemeanorThe more serious of the two misdemeanor classes, with a maximum of one year in a county jail or a $2,000 fine, or both.
- Class 2 misdemeanorThe lesser misdemeanor class, with a maximum of thirty days in a county jail or a $500 fine, or both.
- Class 6 felonyThe least serious felony class: a maximum of two years in a state correctional facility or a fine of $4,000, or both.
- Grand theftTheft of property worth more than one thousand dollars, or of a firearm, livestock, or anything taken from the person, at any value. A felony, its class rising with value.
- Petty theftTheft of property worth one thousand dollars or less: first degree over four hundred dollars, a Class 1 misdemeanor; second degree at four hundred dollars or less, a Class 2.