What should I do on a shoplifting charge? HELP PLEASE

You do need to hire a good criminal defense lawyer. I had a client charged under similar circumstances. I got him a Deferred Judgment sentence for a 9 month period to a non theft charge and now case is dismissed. I worked very hard and got all of the evidence that they claimed they had against him. Looking at the evidence I convinced the City Attorney to give my client for 9 months with no other conditions except not to commit any similar offenses. He had to pay some costs. He took this plea against my advice as he could have gotten a not guilty verdict at trial. However, he could not afford to spend the money for a jury trial. Do ask and pay $25.00 for the jury trial. You have 20 days from date you plead not guilty to pay this fee. If you do not pay the jury fee you do not get a jury trial but a judge trial. A jury trial is always (in most cases) better than a judge trial. The police in Englewood rarely conduct any proper investigation. They do not have to d so. Hobby Lobby is known to make complains of theft or price switching even when they have no real solid proof of it. They may know it costs money to have a good criminal defense attorney and most people do not want to fight a petty theft charge because of the cost. (This is my own person view or opinion of Hobby Lobby). However, never take a guilty plea to a theft charge as it will come to haunt you for the rest of your life. It will affect your job, housing and immigration status to name a few consequences. Criminal convictions can rarely to sealed and they stay on your record for the rest of your life in Colorado. Working hard in a criminal defense case takes time and costs money. This takes a lot of hard work and money. Best of Luck Best of Luck