Legal Question in Criminal Law in Ohio

The individual does not need to have left the store in order for an arrest or shopkeeper's detention to be valid. A person is guilty of theft once they have knowingly obtained or exerted control over the property of another without that person's consent.

In a shoplifting scenario, "control" can be obtained at the moment the product is placed in a purse, jacket, pants pocket, stroller, bag etc. The store does not need to wait for the person to leave in order to make a detention or arrest.