I was at the mall today, and it occurred to me that I have not written a blog about shoplifting at the Scottsdale Fashion Square. Scottsdale Fashion Square is a place where people come from all over Phoenix and the Country while here on vacation. They have nearly every single high-end shop you could possibly think of. During our high tourist season, it is packed every day of the week. Our firm regularly handles shoplifting cases that occur at Scottsdale Fashion Square, as well as other shops and boutiques around Scottsdale.
Shoplifting can be handled either as a misdemeanor or felony depending on the dollar amount shoplifted. Most of our cases out of Scottsdale Municipal Court are misdemeanors. Generally speaking anything around $1000 or less is going to be treated as a class one misdemeanor and charged at the Scottsdale Municipal Court.
If the items, however, are over $1000, it may be charged as a felony at Maricopa County Superior Court. The police department may give someone a little leeway if it’s slightly over $1,000, but I am relatively certain that everything over $2000 will be treated as a felony. If you’ve been charged with a felony, don’t worry, our law firm provides the highest level of legal representation for misdemeanors and felonies. A felony is a more involved process that absolutely requires an attorney, as the consequences could lead to mandatory jail.
While not always, most of our clients who have been arrested or cited for shoplifting have no prior criminal history. They made a spontaneous, emotional decision. This does not necessarily mean they are a bad person, and certainly does not mean that they are criminal.
There are many different things our attorneys can do for shoplifting cases. Our overall objective is to make sure that our clients do not have a criminal conviction on their record. You made a mistake – you are not a thief and we do not want you to forever more be labeled as one.
Even if the store receives their goods back, a person will be responsible for reimbursing for the value of the item. The witness to the alleged shoplifting is generally an employee of the department store – either as a sales clerk or as a loss prevention officer. When we are handling shoplifting cases, it is important to either interview the witness or make sure that we receive the witness’ statement and compare their statement to the police report to ensure that there are no gaps or holes in the story. It is possible we can beat this case on a technicality.
In other situations, the case turns out to be something that we try to negotiate a dismissal. You may be asking, how do you negotiate a dismissal? Well, the answer is to make sure the judge understands that our client is willing to fully reimburse the department store for the items, has no prior law-enforcement contact, and vow that they will never commit any criminal acts again.
As a criminal defense lawyer, it is very important that people receive second chances. It’s our job as attorneys to help people. We understand that good people make mistakes, but we do not want these mistakes to define them.
If you’ve been arrested for shoplifting in Scottsdale, I am certain our lawyers can help you. Don’t be ashamed and don’t be afraid. Just like we have helped thousands of people at Scottsdale Court over the years, we will be by your side through every step of your legal process.