Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Yes. This is a fee intended to reimburse the store for its loss prevention costs, to help prevent these costs from being passed on to the store's honest customers.

Paying the store does not stop criminal charges. Talk to your attorney before saying or doing anything.

If you are arrested and charged with a crime, the proper questions are, can you be convicted, and what can you do? Defend the charges. Go to court, enter a not guilty plea, arrange bail reduction or OR, set up and attend the court hearing[s] and trial date[s]. File evidence suppression or other motions as applicable. Raise all the available defenses with whatever admissible and credible witnesses, evidence and facts are available for legal arguments for motions, plea bargaining, or at trial. Go to trial if it can't be resolved with motions or a plea bargain. There is no magic wand to wave and make it all disappear. If you don't know how to do these things, then hire an attorney that does, who will try to get a decent outcome or plea bargain for you. If serious about doing so, feel free to contact me. I�ll be happy to help you use whatever defenses you may have. If you can't afford private counsel, apply for the Public Defender.