Man today I got busted for shoplifting a $12.06 shirt. I tried it on and thought "hey this has no tag" and "the exit is 10 ft away" but I got cuaght.
My parents don't know yet and I was very lucky becuase I am 16 and my birthday is in a 3 weeks. If I was 17 I would have been thrown in "The Joint". But all I got was a citation. But now I gotta pay that citation, I have the money, but its just that my parents have to be there in order for me to pay the fine or a warrant will be issued in 21 days. In 21 days I turn 17. So that means I can be arrested and taken to "The Slammer". So what I was thinking is that maybe I could wait till I turn 17 and then go to the municipal court and pay the fine myself...since I will be 17....
Do any of yall know if that is possible?
-Sariat
ID:188115
 Jul 6 2004, 7:53 pm
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Yeah, that's a pretty low low.
I think you're probably better off biting the bullet on this and just telling your parents. | |
Do what i would have done, run away to mexico.
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I think you have no choice but to tell your parents. I think cops are probably not very fond of minors who get off with a slap on the hand, so if you take it there, you probably wont get a "Well, since you did pay the find at it is only the first day of your warrant, We'll let it go." you will probably get, "Think you can shoplift and get away with it, eh buddy? Since your 17 now, we can legally through you in the slammer, and since you haven't done any time for your crime because you were a minor, I think it's only right you do time for what you've done."
But that is predicting what they will say. You can wait, but it will be a HUGE gamble to do that. Parents look down on stealing, and you'll probably get grounded for at least a month, but work it off via chores with them and really show them that you regret doing it, and maybe a month of being grounded is all you'll get. If you get thrown in the slammer, you'll also get the "You lied to us! We can never trust you again!" routine, and probably even more of a minimum grounding amount (like 2 months) and it will be even harder to work off. Go with the parents, is what I think. | |
Kunark wrote:
I think you have no choice but to tell your parents. I think cops are probably not very fond of minors who get off with a slap on the hand, so if you take it there, you probably wont get a "Well, since you did pay the find at it is only the first day of your warrant, We'll let it go." you will probably get, "Think you can shoplift and get away with it, eh buddy? Since your 17 now, we can legally through you in the slammer, and since you haven't done any time for your crime because you were a minor, I think it's only right you do time for what you've done." Note: He forgot to mention that this isn't the same with all states, nor is it the same with all parents. Literally, you can go with either one, and shouldn't be taking advice from us. You should go with what you see fits, if going with paying it by yourself when you turn 17 fits your state, or liking, then do it. Most judges aren't that mean to minors, and it was only a shirt, and you have a decent understandable story. So, i don't really see what's wrong with going the second route, right? Maybe my insight can let you see a bit more clearly. | |
Your forgetting though that if someone obviously has a crime commited, the system isn't allowed to just "overlook" things like theft. It's true not all judges are bad, but after dealing with 50 of these kids who do similar stuff a month, don't you think it would harden the judge up a bit? It would take a VERY nice judge to feel sorry for the kid AND step over the law.
And what does state have anything to do with my post? I know he doesn't live in the same state, but him being in Texas doesn't automatically make his parents and court system little angels. I gave the typical scenario with what most parents would do when their children commit Theft from a store. Yes, his parents might not even be around, or his dad or something could be a wacko and beat him if he commits crime, but he did not mention any especially bad treatment from his parents, so I assume that he doesn't want to tell his parents because they will ground him/be very mad for a while. Like I said before, it is a BIG gamble if he waits. if you know who the judge is, maybe less of one, but I'd take bad treatment from your parents vs. a gamble where the bad side will be worse treatment from your parents, and temperary jail-time, with possible community service or a second, nastier fine. | |
Wow Im pissed now, in 1995 I stole a cd, that was when I was like 11, and I got 8 weeks house arrest, a $275.00 fine, kicked out of the store for a year and a half, I had to wash windows for like a month at our local library and then when I went to court, the store also got out of me whats called a "victems fee" and then they also sued me for more money.
I had to take my parents, there was no option. My friend was cited for something similar a few months before me, and he tried just going alone and they turned him away, so he had to tell his parents about everything on the day of the court date and ask them to come, it wasn't a pretty thing. Just tell your damn parents, you did something wrong, you have to live with it, be a man, admit you did something wrong and move on with life. Your parents will be mad, sure, but everything moves on eventually and after awhile it'll be a thing of the past, and everyone will forget about it. And since your still tech. a minor, you could get lucky like me, the judge put it off the record for me. A few jobs Ive wored at actully had the question "Have you ever been convicted of a feleony or misdemenor?" I put no, and I was hired at all of them. Good luck though, I feel for you, Ive been down that path, it isn't fun, but, youll survive. | |
So far Shades has handed you the best advice: Suck it up and tell the folks. They'll respect that you came to them (though less that you dithered on it for this long, as you shouldn't have), and that will make some difference in what follows. You're also much better off facing a judge having weathered a parental firestorm and visibly the wiser for it.
In any case you should not expect overall lenience. It's hard for stores to catch shoplifters, and when they do they throw the book at them just to make it clear they don't tolerate theft. Speaking as a cashier in retail, you'll be lucky to get off with what Shades got (and learned from). My store is plagued by DVD thieves who simply grab bundles of stuff and walk out. It costs the store hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, which makes a difference in our sales, in our customer service (because we have to spend time dealing with these nits), and ultimately our paychecks. When stores do catch somebody they bring the hammer down as hard as they can. Do as Shades says, and do as he did: Learn from whatever they throw at you. It'll be much better than what you'll get if you don't do the right thing here. You have a lot at stake. If the judge has options in how you can be sentenced, it's entirely possible this will stay on your record and pretty much kill your chance of finding a decent job anytime in the next few years; it's not gonna look good on a college admissions form either. So do whatever you can to do the morally correct thing, because it's the easiest way of avoiding a much worse punishment. Lummox JR | |
Pfft, you should go to "The Joint" for a couple days.
Thieves suck. >:P ~Kujila | |
So you think they'll give me ALL of that for a 12.06 shirt? I thought I would just have to pay the fine....
Will it be on my record? | |
Sariat wrote:
So you think they'll give me ALL of that for a 12.06 shirt? I thought I would just have to pay the fine.... If its your first criminal offense i believe you can do community service and it wont show up, if its not your first offense yes it goes on your record all depends on your country and state. | |
Mm, the thing is..most cops don't arrest someone just because they have a warrent.
The thing they do is wait a week, and if they still haven't paid, then they go to arrest them. I study law, and i watch cops. | |
Sariat wrote:
So you think they'll give me ALL of that for a 12.06 shirt? I thought I would just have to pay the fine.... The CD I stole was only $16.87 in Upper Michigan, and it wasnt even opened, all I did was peel the censor off the back. Id also like to point out that I got the 8 weeks house arresst from the Junviel Offercer at the court house, then I had to go to trial and get other fines, and as far as my Law Teacher told me, my Junivel Offerecer let me off easy, usually whenever a kid is caught for doing anything wrong, even running away from home they send them to a place they call "Bay Pines" to study them to make sure there isn't anything wrong mentally. They can also impose more community service and more fines apprently also. | |
And after all that I didnt even get the damn cd either! =P
Crime Dosent pay, not at frigging all. I got a normal job now, and make $130/WK, I just buy the damn cds now. | |
Shades wrote:
And after all that I didnt even get the damn cd either! =P Now that's harsh. I had to pay $60 for not having a ticket for the subway, but I got to ride without having to go back and get a ticket. No community service or anything, just the fine. I guess it depends on where you live. | |
I find it rather odd they cut you off with a citation where a live in Kentucky they never do that to a minor cause there parents are still responsible for there actions.Every time i was in trouble as a minor they always called my parents and if they couldnt get ahold of them it was off to Juvey aka Juvenile Detention Center no matter what i did even stealing pity things like that.
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Over here, it is not called a fine for riding a subway/streetcar/bus without a ticket, it is called a "increased fare".
splatty | |
I wasn't really bad. I'd say a 6 out 10. 7 max. but I do feel kinda bad that I dissapointed my parents. Oh well, I did what I did and now I gotta face the consequences. Sh*t happens.
All I can say is Life threw me a curveball. | |
Just let your parents know, i got arrested for assualt and battery back in january and i had to goto court however one more docket in my file and i get sent to the slammer as you put it. but as you see this is worse then yours just tell your parents aslong as it doesnt happen again i dont see why they wont let it go.