Legal Question in Criminal Law in Michigan

Your daughter should try to avoid having a criminal record for this small offense. That could haunt her for the rest of her life. I recommend contacting our Lansing office to hire an attorney that can help protect her. You can reach them at 517 886-1000.

You can read more about our firm at: www.AggressiveCriminalDefense.com

The store might send her a "civil demand" notice, which allows a store to charge a person 10 times the stolen item's value up to a maximum charge of $200, so your daughter's charge should be $50. This is separate from any police/prosecutor/court action. You don't say how old she is, so she might be handled in juvenile court (if she is 16 or under), or district court (if she is 17 or older). If she is UNDER 21 years old and has no significant prior record, she'd likely be put on either consent calendar in juvie court or HYTA status in district court -- if she or her attorney ask for this -- which could result in the case being dismissed after she successfully completes probation.

If you do get a "civil demand" it's your choice to pay it. No lawyer files a lawsuit for $50. Otherwise, wait and see. It's certainly possible that no prosecution will occur.