Legal Question in Criminal Law in North Carolina

For some reason people seem to think they can 'press' charges or 'dismiss or drop' charges - you can't. Basically all you get to do is complain and provide information / input. Charges can be brought by a magistrate or a district attorney based on your complaint or information. Likewise, charges can be dismissed or dropped based on your complaint or input. But in each case, the actual decision to charge, continue with charges or to dismiss is not really yours. So with that out of the way, yes you ought to indicate to the ADA that you'd prefer to see your theiving neighbor convicted - just keep in mind that whether or not that actually happens is not completely your call.