Are you aware that it has never been legal to steal goods from a shop while pretending to be a customer in Slidell? That act is called ‘shoplifting’. You need to know that if you are being caught taking goods out of a shop without paying and informing the shop owner, you will be taken to court for committing a criminal offense. If that happens, you will need a strong lawyer that will defend you in court and prove you to be innocent.
By shoplifting, you can be liable to face severe consequences, which includes a fine and jail term. To increase your possibility of returning from the courtroom without defiling your integrity, you should call on the Barkemeyer Law Firm, Shoplifting Defense Attorney firm in Slidell, Louisiana.
What is the meaning of Shoplifting?
In Slidell, Louisiana, shoplifting is described as the stealing of goods. The Slidell shoplifting law states that if an individual takes a valuable thing from a shop, merchant, or store, by fraud or without their consent, intending to deprive the shop or merchant, the person has committed an offense. You can easily claim that a person intends to deprive a store or merchant when he conceals or hide the goods where it will hardly be found, changing the items from their original containers, spoiling or causing damages to goods in a way that they can no longer be used, or even altering the price tags of the items. In this case, what we refer to as a shop or store, can either be Walmart, Belk, and others.
A shoplifter is liable to face both civil and criminal consequences under the Slidell law. What this means is that the shoplifter will not only face the potential criminal prosecutions, which includes fines and jail terms, the merchants may also sue him/her to recover money for the damages. So, if you ever get caught doing any of the acts that were mentioned above, and you are guilty of any accusation against you, you will face dire penalties. The only way you can defend yourself against the shoplifting accusations labeled against you in court is to call on a good attorney that will see through your defense. This is the moment where you need the services of the Barkemeyer Law Firm and all the qualified lawyers in his team.
In Slidell, Louisiana, USA, there are two major methods of shoplifting that an individual can be accused of, which are:
Concealing
Walkout/pushout
Note: There are many other methods of shoplifting that a defendant can be accused of. Some of them have been mentioned from the beginning of this article.
If, in any case, you are found guilty of one of the above-mentioned shoplifting cases, you will need the help of a lawyer in defending yourself in the courtroom. This is because, when dealing with any kind of criminal offense, all that is needed to put you in trouble is the evidence. But, if you hire a well-equipped lawyer to help you with your defense in the courtroom, you will be able to counter any sort of evidence that is brought to make you guilty. The lawyer will be able to defend you and prove that the shreds of evidence filed against you are all illegal or false. Your lawyer should be able to speak aggressively on your behalf to make the whole pieces of evidence irrelevant in the courtroom. With this, the possible/consequences for the shoplifting crime that you have been blamed for will be alleviated or annihilated. By hiring the Barkemeyer Law Firm, there is a high possibility that you will come out victorious after your trial in court.
Potential shoplifting punishments in Slidell, Louisiana
You know for sure that if you are being convicted, your record will forever be affected. Here are the possible punishments that you may be required to face if you are found guilty of shoplifting:
· If the alleged stolen goods are worth less than $1000 dollars with no prior shoplifting convictions: If a person steals goods worth less than $1000 and has no previous shoplifting history, he/she may either pay a fine of $1000 and/or spend 6 months in jail.
· If the alleged stolen goods are worth $1000 dollars or more but less than $5000 with no prior shoplifting case: if a person shoplifts goods worth $1000 or more but less than $5000 and has had no prior shoplifting cases, he/she may be looking at either pay a fine of $1000 and/or spend up to two years in jail. This is a felony.
· When the alleged value of goods amounts to a value of $5000 dollars or more, but less than a value of $25,000 dollars, the offender shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than 10 years, or may be fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or both.
· If the alleged goods amount to a value of $25,000 dollars or more, the defendant shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not more than 20 years, or may be fined not more than fifty thousand dollars, or both.
· If the amount is less than $1000 but the defendant has two prior theft convictions, the third becomes a felony punishable by two years in prison.
· Value is added up: When there has been a misappropriation or taking by a multiple separate acts of the defendant, the total of the amount of the thefts shall determine the grade of the offense.
Therefore, if you do not do the right thing before it is too late, you will be ready to face the whole penalties of shoplifting that have been mentioned above. But, if you know that you do not want to face any of these penalties, you should hire a good and aggressive lawyer that will defend you in court during your trial.
Whom should you call to help you?
Whenever you are accused of shoplifting in the city of Slidell, Louisiana, USA, call the Barkemeyer Law Firm. He is a very pro-active attorney that has a lot of experience. He has helped to defend many shoplifting cases. The Barkemeyer Law Firm is the kind of attorney you need defending you in court if you desire to have an unbiased trial. With the kind of experience he has gathered, you can be sure of favorable outcomes. Therefore, do not waste a single time whenever you or your loved ones in Slidell, Louisiana, are charged for shoplifting. Call the Barkemeyer Law Firm to help defend you.
