Criminal Records, Expungement Teenage theft

[Tom_Vettel]

My 14 year old son has been stealing valve stem caps from a variety of cars over the summer. I have recently made the discovery. I have not confronted him and would like to know what the laws and penalties are related to a theft of this type. I would estimate that he has a collection of about 160 caps with a total value at cost of around $450.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Laws vary from state to state. This is probably at least a larceny charge but the real problem is that it is not just one, but possibly 160 charges of larceny. Think of what it means to be a repeat offender. Here is the law in Mississippi for petit larceny, on its face:

SEC. 97-17-43. Petit larceny defined; penalty.

(1) If any person shall feloniously take, steal and carry away any personal property of another under the value of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), he shall be guilty of petit larceny and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six (6) months or by fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or both.

Theoretically, your son would be reponsible for a fine of up to $160,000 or 6 months jail per charge! Forgetting about the penalties, having multiples can result in other charges in some states and even worse is the record that comes with it. Try getting a job with a record... it's not fun and you can send your son here to read about the poor people who have made a mistake or two in their lives and are paying for it. Expungement may not be possible if he has several offenses on his record. It's hard to control teenagers and wish you the best in dealing with that challenge...

My 14 year old son has been stealing valve stem caps from a variety of cars over the summer. I have recently made the discovery. I have not confronted him and would like to know what the laws and penalties are related to a theft of this type. I would estimate that he has a collection of about 160 caps with a total value at cost of around $450.