Juvenile charged for misdemeanor theft in Washington State?

Question

Hi, I'm 16 and today I got caught shoplifting at Macys in the state of Washington. This is the first time I've ever been caught doing anything; I have a clean record and I am an AP/Honors student. The charge was for joe jeans that were about 200 dollars and they told me if they had been 50 dollars more it would have been a felony. The people working there also told me I wasn't allowed at Macys for a year and that I would have to pay a charge for shoplifting, but I am mostly concerned about the police and record aspect of the charge. The police came, patted me down and asked for my name/address and I called for my dad to come get me, but we just stayed in the back-room of Macys and didn't have to go to the PD or anything. They told me I would get a ticket for theft and a court date. I was wondering, what am I going to be charged for exactly, what are the fees, and is there any way for me to get it deferred and not on my record?

Answer 1

WORKED WASHINGTON STATE FOR 18 YEARS.
1) YOU ARE A JUVENILE
2) YOU WERE PICKED UP BY YOUR DAD THUS NOT TAKEN INTO CUSTODY PER SE EXCEPT BY PARENT.
3) HONORS STUDENT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NOT STUPID? WE ALL HAVE DONE SOMETHING STUPID IN OUR LIVES( DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING YET?)
4) MACY'S SECURITY HAS THE RIGHT TO BAR YOU FROM THE STORE FOR EVER IF THEY SO SAY. IT IS THERE PROPERTY AND YOU ARE A THREAT TO THERE SECURITY BEING COMPROMISED.
5) TICKET TO JUV COURT AND A DAY TO SAY WHY YOU DID IT?
6) THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 250 DOLLARS / SHOPLIFTING??
7) DEFERRED IS UP TO JUDGE AND CURRENT LAWS. MANY STATES HAVE GONE TO NO DEFERRAL IN 2006. EVERYTHING MUST SHOW ON A RECORD.
8) BEING JUV COURT IT MAY NOT SHOW WHEN 18 BUT WILL SHOW UP AS AN EMPLOYMENT CHECK IS DONE?

Answer 2

Over the last 20 or 30 years, crime has become a political football. No politician wants to be accused of being 'soft on crime' so they outdo each other to raise penalties, double sentences and double them again, and to establish mandatory sentences. It might be that the DA is charging you with a felony hoping you'll accept a plea bargain, meaning that you will plead guilty if he reduces it to a misdemeanor. They do this a lot, in fact most criminal cases today are settled with plea bargains, not in court (court trials are time-consuming and expensive). If you're up for a felony, I would get a lawyer. He will accompany you to a session with the prosecutor where one side or the other will suggest a plea bargain. Also, here in California (and I'm sure some other places), if you already have a record, misdemeanors can become felonies. We have a guy serving 25 to life for stealing a slice of pizza from some kids. Just another way to fill up the prisons so we can build new prisons. We now have more than 1% of our population behind bars. And the people who love this are the same ones who want a big tax cut.

Answer 3

Many states have pre-trial diversion programs, you will be charged with peti theft which is a misdemeanor. If this is available you should take it since it also usually involves sealing of your offense. Many times you have to ask for this. It also involves community service.
addended answer:
You must have received some sort of ticket, call the number on the ticket or officer for details, usually it is a prosecutor, As for college record, it doesn't show with an college, but you are supposed to be honest on the application, technically you still innocent until the trial.

Answer 4

call the court and pay up. don't steal.