rtfThatgirl
New Member
I'm 19 and was recently caught shoplifting an item worth under 12 dollars in CA. The store pressed charges, called the police, etc. I have to appear in court and was told by the officer to get a public defender. This is my first offense, ever and i'm scared becasue i don't want this stupid mistake to ruin my record. Does it seem possible that i could reduce this charge to something lower like an infraction or something? Do infractions show up on background checks or on criminal records? How could i get involved into doing an anti-shoplifting course? If i did that then maybe the judge would see that im trying to right the wrong. For now, i feel like im stuck in the dark.
