Asked 3/29/2016 – Dallas, TX

Got caught shoplifting. It’s my first offense & will be my last. I should’ve listened to my instinct that it would be a bad idea but my friend said it would be easy & that I wouldn’t caught & for doing so, I did w/ so much regret. They called the cops & after an hour & maybe 20 mins of waiting, cops never came. They took my information & DL, along with a paperwork I signed for the loss possession & explaining about the civil demand letter that I should be expecting in the mail. The items I stole came to a total of $110. They told me that they would send the report & should be expecting a lawsuit against them & their may be a warrant sent out for my arrest & that I should turn myself in since police never came to take me to jail at the time of my apprehension. Since police never came, should I be expecting a warrant for my arrest? How can I avoid this one mistake from going on my record? Will Belk(company) really file a lawsuit against me for the $110 worth of items I stole? Will belk take me to court for this? what can I do to avoid going to jail & having a record? Will this affect my future accounting jobs? Do I need an attorney? How much legal fees will I be paying?

Answer

A merchant CAN file a civil suit against you, but they won’t. Pay no attention to any demand letter you receive from the store or their attorneys. If you receive notice from any law enforcement agency, contact a local attorney, IMMEDIATELY. It is possible a criminal charge can be filed against you, and a warrant can be issued at large (meaning you were not arrested at the time of the event, but a warrant is entered in to the system at a later date and you are subject to arrest if stopped by the police). If the event happened in Dallas County and you want to check if any warrant has been issued, the number to the Dallas County Sheriff Warrant Division is 214-761-9026.