Have you ever been caught stealing?

Question

I got picked up for minor shoplifting when I was 15. I NEVER did anything like that again.

Answer 1

Yes. I found a sample of Oil of Olay in my mailbox. I got this brilliant idea to go from mailbox to mailbox to scoop all the samples. I drove and my friend took all the samples within a 10 block radius. Needless to say, a woman saw us take something out of her mailbox and called the police to say we had stolen her mail. Fifteen minutes after arriving home with our "moisturizing gold" the police showed up. They surrounded the house (Stealing mail is a Federal Offence that is taken very seriously) I admitted my crime and let them in. They were shocked to see the mountain of cream. Anyway, he took the bottle that belonged to the woman that called, wrote up a report, told me that Proctor and Gamble had up to 7 years to charge us and left. That was over 20 yrs ago and I haven't stolen a thing since.

Answer 2

Yes, When I was about 7-8 I used to steal candy out of one of the 5 & 10's stores in our local neighborhood. But being a strict Catholic I was upset about it, so one Sunday morning on the way to church I walked by the store which was closed at the time, and dropped all the small change I had at the time in the mail slot on the door.
We were poor and I never ever really had any nice clothes and used to have to wear hand-me-downs from my cousin, who was heavier than I was. So I would sometimes go downtown and steal blouses usually from J. C, Penny's. It only lasted a while till I just stopped. No I never got caught.

Answer 3

Yes, in freshman year I was the distraction for Sister Xavier at an all girls Catholic H.S. and while I looked at pencils and various things, my other friends were holding a girl up to the window who was stealing all different kinds of candy and I almost laughed at my friends face and I got caught. I didn't get in trouble, I said I didn't have anything to do with it. My friends didn't get in trouble either. The next day though, Sister Xavier saw me in the hall and called me a BRAZEN HUSSY !!! and Ithat belonged in a public school next year. This was in 68 and she was very old then and kinda chubby and looked like a rabbit in a habit!! She was furious I got away with it!! LOL! There were some really funny pranks pulled there!!

Answer 4

Yes, I was 18, it was a Saturday evening and I stole 2 pairs of sunglasses and had to spend the night in Houston's finest facility because their computers were down and my parents couldn't get me out. It was horrifying. I was in there with crack wh*res and prostitutes. I also never done anything like that again. I am 39 now and I just recently found out that the lawyer I had at the time lied to me and said that my only punishment was going to be 6 months probation and that on future job applications to put down that I had never been arrested...now remember, I am 39 and just found out that I do in fact have a record that is accessable to any employer. I have to go pay money to have this removed from my record.

Answer 5

When I was about 9 or 10 (this was 1949-50), there was a general store down the hill from where we lived. We kids used to go in there to buy popsicles (after collecting pop bottles to redeem).

I picked up a small metal "dime"bank that encouraged you to save a dime everyday by changing the date whenever you put a dime in it. I was fascinated by it but sure couldn't afford it. I snuck it into the pocket of my Levi's and walked out with it.

Later in the evening, I was sitting on my bed looking at it and my Mother walked in. She asked me where I got it and I replied that the man at the store had given it to me...(alright already, I was very young)...

Well, she gave me such a talking to and told me I would return it the next day. I spent a sleepless night in extreme distress wondering if I was going to jail.

The next day, Mom marched me down to the store, made me go in the store ALONE, return the bank, admit to the owner I had stolen it, apologize and ask him to forgive me for being a thief. I can recall this day how humiliated and scared I was looking up at the giant man and confessing my felony.

That was my one and only run-in with the dark side of stealing. Never again did I take something that didn't belong to me. Harsh lesson, well learned.

My mother was a wise woman.

Answer 6

Yes I have.
I firmly believe we are the sum of our deeds and misdeeds, as in you are what you do, and I have been a long time working this off.
I see that most of the answers here are for relatively small things, such as stealing gum, etc when they were young. That could be chalked up to a silly childhood mistake.
however, I was 28 years old. I am almost 33.
Getting caught stealing at age 28 represents a serious character flaw.
I was working a temp job in a hospital, and money was tight. it is not an excuse, or if it is, it is a very bad one.
Here is the story:
I found that in the hospital cafe, if I went out the exit door, I could take food out without paying. Not sure exactly how many times I did it, I think more than five, less than ten. Of course I got caught by security, taken to the security office. My boss was immediately contacted, and I was fired on the spot, my employee ID was taken away, and escorted out the door with strict instructions never to set foot on the property again.
Of course at the time, I was upset over the loss of my job, but then I started thinking of other things: The very fact that I got caught meant that other people saw me: other employees who did pay for their food, the families of patients, and maybe even patients, who have enought to deal with without seeing thieving scumbag employees ripping the hospital off. Furthermore, most hospitals, this included operate at a non profit. That made this thing not just unsavory, but really, really offensive.
So I decided that this offense must be worked off.
When I went home, I immediately told my girlfriend. I expected that she would be disgusted, and would break up with me then and there. She didn't.
When I was looking for another job, and I was asked by potential employers why I left my old job, I told them I was fired with cause, and exactly what I did. Needless to say, though I was contrite, I was not hired.
Eventually, I got another temp job. When that ended, through no fault of my own, I was eligible for unemployment. The Department of labor tried to include funds I had earned at the hospital I was fired from in my benefit but i told them I was fired with cause. They wouldn't remove it form my benefit until I contacted the hospital and told them to tell Department of labor I had been fired. I couldn't in good conscience take the money.
Now i am 33, have a good job. I believe I have made appropriate amends, atoned for it. I had to wear it for awhile, and take myself to the woodshed quite a few times, but I think my character is more or less pure. Of course, it does bear this blemish, but nobody is perfect.
If we do evil things, they must be repaid, if only for the good of our conscience. We must also pay back society for the damage we have done.
To those of you who have never stolen, my hat is off to you; I wish I could say the same for myself.

If I ever found out that my kid had ever stolen anything, I would come down on him like a ton of bricks. Stealing is never worth having to deal with the guilt afterwards. It can be a life sentence!

Answer 7

When I was 7 I took a little tube of lipstick from the 10 Cent Store and felt so guilty that I threw it in a ladies bathroom trash can in Montgomery Wards.

Answer 8

I did, not proud of it by no means. I don't think that I was even in school when this happened. Mom and I went shopping at the Army Surplus store. There was this barrel that had a bunch of rockets in it. Don't know why but I just didn't think that I could live with out one. Had no clue as to what I would do with one either, I just wanted one. Well I put it in my pocket and we left. On the way home, mom saw me playing with it. She turned around and went back to the store. I had no clue she was doing this as I was busy playing with the rocket. She said now you take that right back in there and tell that man that you took it and that you are sorry. When I looked up and saw where we were, I was SHOCKED. I asked her if she would go in with me, NOPE I will not go in with you. So in I went alone and scared to death. I laid it on the counter and started to leave, as I turned around their was mom. "What did I tell you to do?" Well I did do what I was told then.

A month or so went by, we went back to that same store. By this time I think that I had forgotten about the first time. Well there were these baby socks that I wanted for my doll. Mom kept telling me they would not fit my doll. I caught mom not looking (so I thought) I put them in my pocket. Shortly after wards mom was done shopping. Got to the check out counter and mom paid out. She was not moving to the door. I didn't understand what was holding her up. She was looking at me strangely. She asked me if I had something in my pockets, I said no. Mom gave to at least two chances to admit it. I held my ground. She reached in my pocket, pulled out the socks layed them on the counter. Asked me if I had anything to say to the man. I said I am sorry. Right then and there, I got a spanking that I would never ever forget as long as I live. That was the LAST time that I ever stole another
thing again. I learned a BIG lesson that day.

Answer 9

When I was in Kindergarten, I stole some gum from the teachers drawer.

I didn't chew it, I wanted to take it home and show my mother what I had.

As soon as I got home I showed her the gum and she was very upset.

The teacher lived on the corner, we lived on the next corner.

I had to take it back. and tell her that I stole it from her.

I was so scared, I wet my pants and threw up all the way to her house.

I never forgot it. It taught me not to do that again.

That was in 1941 and I was 5 years old.

Thanks for the question.

Answer 10

I am still laughing at the thought of what I could accomplish at such a young age. I casually walked behind the counter at Montgomery Wards opened up the gun case and took a 38 caliber pistol. My neighbor asked to see the gun and I allowed her to. I could not sit down until the eighth grade!