Shoplifting, Larceny, Robbery, Theft Attempted(?)Theft at department/retail store

[Blackbeltlu]

Jurisdiction

Virginia

Okay. I'm 16 and have a fairly great head on my shoulders until now (I guess). Just today I made a stupid mistake which was shoplifting at a department/retail store. I've never done it and I was with 2 other friends. I brought a backpack with and filled it with A LARGE amount of clothing, make up items and beauty products. My friends also did the same. I felt VERY guilty after doing this even BEFORE being watched. As we walked around the store, we were watched and confronted by 2 workers who asked various questions "where do you go to school?", "How old are you?", "What school do you go to?", "Do you all drive?" Etc (keep in mind, we were never asked about the items or was accused of theft). now after that, I hurried my butt into the dressing room and took EVERYTHING out of my bag but my friends did not do the same and left to another store. (We later went back to have them return the items they took.)
I was not confronted about the items but over heard various comments. As I was walking to the dressing room I heard one worker say to the other "Okay. Make the call." Then after taking everything out of my bag in the dressing room and exiting the area, I heard "Make sure everything is in there." Like she new I would return the items.
Let me also mention that I NEVER made my way to or NEAR the exits with the items in my bag. I did NOT have any items after exiting and I was not confronted about having just shoplifted nor do they know my name or my friends names.

PLEASE let me know if I can be charged. They know my school and probably knownmy lisence plate number as well.

 

[shrinkmaster]

I am a Retail Theft Consultant and answer questions like yours daily. Depends in some states concealment alone is a crime. However given fact you were not stopped its likely store will not pursue this since they lost nothing at least from you. It was unwise to name store on public forum and if contacted by store or Police answer NO QUESTIONS without a Lawyer present

 

[Blackbeltlu]

I am a Retail Theft Consultant and answer questions like yours daily. Depends in some states concealment alone is a crime. However given fact you were not stopped its likely store will not pursue this since they lost nothing at least from you. It was unwise to name store on public forum and if contacted by store or Police answer NO QUESTIONS without a Lawyer present

Thank you much for your help. I'm freaking out. I really shouldn't have done it even without any intention of leaving the store with the items.

 

[shrinkmaster]

Just to be clear you nor your friends were stopped by store? Did your friends leave with merchandise?


Virginia Shoplifting Laws
§ 18.2-103. Concealing or taking possession of merchandise; altering price tags; transferring goods from one container to another; counseling, etc., another in performance of such acts.

 

[shrinkmaster]

So yes you committed a crime. If they let you go you caught a break

 

[mightymoose]

I'll go a little further. Depending on the wording of the law in your state you potentially committed TWO felonies, not one petty theft.

It does not matter that you never tried to leave the store. It does not matter that you removed the items later. The crime was complete as soon as you concealed the merchandise in your bag.

You apparently entered the store with intent to commit the theft, which may have raised it to a felony.

You did this acting with others which is conspiracy, another potential felony.

Had you committed these acts in my jurisdiction those are the offenses I would have arrested you for.

You got lucky that the store did not pursue you. You could easily have been locked up in juvenile detention with your friends.

At this point it is unlikely you will be contacted about it. I suggest you stay out of that store for a LONG time. Stop stealing and find better friends to hang out with.

 

[Blackbeltlu]

Just to be clear you nor your friends were stopped by store? Did your friends leave with merchandise?
We were never asked about the merchandise but I guess they used "scare tactics" like stopping us and asking questions about age, school etc. And I did not leave with the items I had, my friends left with the ones they picked out.

Virginia Shoplifting Laws
§ 18.2-103. Concealing or taking possession of merchandise; altering price tags; transferring goods from one container to another; counseling, etc., another in performance of such acts.

 

[army judge]

Yeah, time to let it go.
You got away with it.
Don't do it again.
Simple.

 

[Blackbeltlu]

Yeah, time to let it go.
You got away with it.
Don't do it again.
Simple.

I don't plan on doing it ever again. Peer pressure go to me. I'm terribly sorry for it. Thanks for all of the reassurance. But I'm still freaked out, they know where I focus to school.

 

[army judge]

I don't plan on doing it ever again. Peer pressure go to me. I'm terribly sorry for it. Thanks for all of the reassurance. But I'm still freaked out, they know where I focus to school.

Son, that's what the law calls "consciousness of guilt".
Moralists say you're experiencing pangs of guilt, because you have a conscience.
Listen to your conscience BEFORE you act, don't allow guilt to destroy you after you act.
Sociopaths don't experience the feelings that are consuming you.
Sociopaths kill, rob, rape, loot, lie, and have no such feelings that are consuming you.
Sociopaths don't care about getting caught.
You, apparently do.
Bottom line, its over.
Move on, but remember this feeling BEFORE you allow peer pressure to destroy your life.
Make your own choices, don't allow idiots to use you to destroy your life.

 

[leslie82]

It's the same story on here every time a shoplifting question is posed.

"I'm a good person I just made a mistake and I'll never do it again." "I know now that what I did was wrong..." How do people who do this not know that stealing is wrong BEFORE they do it? I'm no saint. I stole from the local grocery store when I was a kid. My brothers and their friends had taken some candy once so I tried it. Got away with it. Then I "escalated" and tried to take a pack of pens that were cool. I got busted by an employee. They let me go and said don't come back in for a month. THEN I had to wait for my dad to get home. It's a small town so of course he got told - I was more worried about that. Yeah I got grounded and all that. But he asked why I did it and why didn't I just ask him for money. I just said I don't know. But yeah people shoplift for the thrill of it and that's it.

But I never stole anything again after that. My one older brother not as lucky. He stole from a store in a bigger town and got caught. The police got called. They called my dad and said do you want to meet us at the store and he asked if they could take him to jail. They said yes. He said "Do that and show him everything." By the time my dad picked him up he was crying and scared out of his damn mind. I don't remember what all happened with that but I know our whole family wasn't allowed to go to the store again. That could have been our dad who issued that. I'm not sure if he went to court. It was a looong time ago.

People do make mistakes but when I see some of the posts on here and from adults...it's like really?