Legal Question in Criminal Law in California
Petty theft arrest, first offence
My wife was arrested for petty theft. She has no prior arrests. We are a large 1 income family that struggles to make ends meet. She shoplifted something from a Macy's to give to my daughter for her birthday. The value was more than $50, less than $400. She made a purchase, then placed some items into the bag without paying for them and was detained upon exiting the store. She was cooperative with the police. Please set my expectation regarding the process, and likely penalty. It would be a tremendous financial hardship to retain an attorney, will that yield a more severe penalty? What can her and I do to help minimize the penalty?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Petty theft arrest, first offence
The primary penalty, aside from 1) the punishment she will receive if found guilty and 2) your sad realization that you are married to a thief, is 3) she won't get a job ever again. Too bad she cooperated with the police. Consult a lawyer about whether there are any legal defenses remaining, and what the cost of a complete defense including a trial will be.
Re: Petty theft arrest, first offence
The minimum to expect is a restitution order, a modest court fine and several years of probation. The maximum is six months in jail and several thousand in fines and penalty assesments to the court, with a restitution order and then probation. It's your decision whether you hire counsel. Contact me if interested in doing so.
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