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Juvenile shoplifting laws under UT juvenile criminal code, police only gave warning, now store is asking me to pay $500

Juvenile Law 2 views 2 answers
Hi, I have a question about minor crime. Last year, I was caught shoplifting in a music store. Because it was so minor, the police officer just basically gave me a warning and told me that I would not get charged. He did write me up, to keep record, but told me that this event would not affect me if I never did it again. Before then, I have had no previous record of any crime whatsoever. However, just recently, I got a letter from the lawyer of the music store, telling me I had to pay $500. I've been told to just ignore the letter, as I was clearly told by the police that I've only been warned. What should I do? Thanks in advance.

Attorney Answers

2
John Kaman ·
For a Utah cop, this guy was very nice to you since shoplifting is considered a crime of dishonesty no matter what the amount. In most states you can be prosecuted and the store you stole from can bring an action in civil damages, usually around the amount in the letter. You can try to negotiate them down or ignore it. If you it ignore you may get sued in civil court. Please note that this is not part of any criminal prosecution.
0 upvotes
Thuongtri Nguyen ·
If you go to court and bring up your "Because it was so minor ..." argument, you likely will be punished to the full extent of the law. You do not seem to have understood that you committed a crime. You can check if your state (like WA) allows a store a civil cause of action against thieves. Among the store's possible damages are attorney's fees. The more time an attorney has to spend on a case, the higher the attorney's fees. If you are younger, you likely will be working in the next few years. With a court judgment, the attorney will be able to garnish your wages if your state allows wage garnishment. The civil cause of action and criminal charges are two separate issues. The police has no control over what the store can do with its civil suit.
0 upvotes

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