how shopping for van stuff ends in detainment>?

[mxzane933]

so im in walmart just being bored looking at a bed for my sleeper and just some od end stuff just killing time and blow a few bucks and im goin inside back out to the van i got some mesurments and back in to measure the camping beds and then im looking at the camping supplys and i found a mechete for 5 bucks with a belt holster good deal so cheap why not so im carrying it for ever and keep looking around lookin at guns then i was looking at different heaters and about 45 mintues go buy and im tired of carrying this long mechete so i wedge it iin the side of my pants and was sticking out like 7 inches outside of my t shirt clearly visable so im walking around some more holding a heater then looking at flat screens after 30 more minutes and all a sudden 4 cops come around a corner FREEEEZE i was like wtffffffff took me to the back room and started questioning me i told them never have stolen anything in my life or been in trouble for anything like that ever just some speeding tickets here and there and they run my name etc searched me and the douche bag geek of a kid working the items loss prevention said he saw me go in and out of the store prob taking stuff to my vehicle and saw me put the mechete in my pants and i told the cops that i do not ever concent to vehicle searches but i will give you concent to go search my van right now and will not find anything stolen in there. then they questiond me while we were outside about a pair of jeans i had in there that i bought from a store in the mall a expensive pair of jeans and had tags on them hadent even worn them and they were like looks like you tried gettin away with these jeans i was like ****cifer those jeans are worth more than 10 pairs of the jeans in there. nice try . then they lookd at my tape measure i had on me i was measuring the cots with and it has rust on it and i was like yea walmart needs to start checking ther merchandise its alittle rusty. he didnt think that was funny and after ten more minutes they were like well guess we dont see anything but you concealed merchandice and i got wrote a summons for shoplifting .... yayyy talke about trying to keep your composure .... after i got the summons i proceeded to walk back inside and buy the mechete and heater i was trying to get to begin with.... freaking pig goon scum bags karma will get them and get them oood oh and haha the bulk head thats were they thought i was storing drugs i would transport... shesh whata night.

 

[jjoerger]

Wait until you get the letter from the lawyer offering to make the charge go away for a few hundred bucks.
My stepson, not thinking, put a CD in his coat pocket so that he would have both hands free to carry something heavy that he was purchasing. He never made it to the check out line where he intended to pull the CD out of his pocket and pay for it with the other item.
He went to court, explained it to the judge and had to take some kind of class to fulfill his debt to society.

 

[mxzane933]

isnt it crazy im waiving my rite to a lawyer and goin into this one me myself and i. i just hope i dont end up with community service working and not getting paid sucks..lol the loss prevention guy was like normally we let them walk out to see if their going to pay for it and then make a move but you looked like a runner.. look like a runner??????? just cuz i look like a skateboarder or watever and not a redneck in camo?

 

[Dreamer]

I would get a lawyer. A conviction will stop some companies from contracting with you, because you may not be allowed into Canada.


Dale

 

[mxzane933]

jeez time for bed for zanetrain lol night eo

 

[idtrans]

Well you should have had a cart and putting a Machete in your waste band 1st off is not smart at all ! And walking around with MACHETE is even less smart. You may as well been waving it around and yelling in tounges and acting like a head hunter from gilligans island LMAO.

next time get a cart and be wise.

Viva Mexico !!1 Long live MACHETE !!!!!

 

[idtrans]

BTW your lucky the cops didn't try to get you for concealing a weapon that could have been very bad.

{Maximum image width is 620 pixels. You can kind of get away with 640, but most browser displays (except Tapatalk) are broken at 640 and become problematic at 700 pixels, and the entire page is hosed at 900 pixels. This image was 1680 wide. 1680. 2.7 times wider than is allowed. This image was so wide that the EDIT QUOTE MULTI and QUICK buttons were completely shoved off the screen in MSIE and Firefox. I had to use another method just to edit the image information. The picture below has been resized accordingly, but next time I'll simply delete it and let the original poster do the work. Please use a little common sense, or thumbnails, when posting large images. - Turtle}

 

[mxzane933]

haha i know but come on gimmi some slack im 22 have add and am a ginger kind of ....and drive a van haha that pic made my night tho... and the cop tried that one but luckily the machete was in the packing.

 

[AMonger]

Since when and where don't you have to make an attempt to pass the point of purchase with merchandise to be accused of shoplifting? My father, with decades in retail management, used to tell me accounts of shoplifters he encountered, and I always heard you have to pass the point of payment on your way to the exit before you can be charged. They can sure ban you from the store for just concealing it (or for no reason at all, really), but charging you with a crime is another matter.

Let me know what city and state this was so I can be sure to never shop there.

--

You know the problem with bad cops? They make the other 5% look bad.

 

[mxzane933]

Since when and where don't you have to make an attempt to pass the point of purchase with merchandise to be accused of shoplifting? My father, with decades in retail management, used to tell me accounts of shoplifters he encountered, and I always heard you have to pass the point of payment on your way to the exit before you can be charged. They can sure ban you from the store for just concealing it (or for no reason at all, really), but charging you with a crime is another matter.

Let me know what city and state this was so I can be sure to never shop there.

--

You know the problem with bad cops? They make the other 5% look bad.

no kidding thats what one would assume but i looked it up did a little research and if they want to be the complete jerkoffs that most are they can charge you for concealing merchandise anywere in the store rarely ever happens tho is what the net says but wonderful rockymount va

 

[Turtle]

Since when and where don't you have to make an attempt to pass the point of purchase with merchandise to be accused of shoplifting?

Exactly. One can always claim, legitimately, that they were going to pay for it before they left the store.

The power of "merchant's privilege" provides for the detention of persons suspected of shoplifting only when probable cause or reasonable cause exists to believe a person has committed theft. The best practice for establishing this probable cause (as compared to any legal standard) is the security person's having met all the following six steps:

1. observe the customer approach the merchandise,
2. observe the customer select the merchandise,
3. observe the customer conceal (or otherwise carry away) the merchandise,
4. keep the customer under constant and uninterrupted observation,
5. see the customer fail to pay for the merchandise, and
6. detain the customer outside the store.

It's not a requirement that one pass the final point of purchase and then be detained outside the store, however. As long as the elements of the crime of theft are complete, store security can detain you while you are still in the store.

In any case, as our young friend has already demonstrated a willingness to run his mouth to authorities like a toilet badly in need of repair, I suspect that if this goes to court without a lawyer he will see something other than mere community service. Going it alone without a lawyer in a case of something this serious is just foolish, as even a bad criminal defense lawyer can get the charges dismissed if the above 6 steps were not followed (assuming video surveillance doesn't show something we don't know, like removing price tags or some such nonsense).

Incidentally, wedging the machete inside your pants (taking possession of it), and then killing time inside the store to see if you can pick up on any signs that that you have been "tagged" for suspicion by security to see if you've gotten away with it or not, so that you can put it back on the shelves if you think they know you've got it, or walk out free and clear if you think they don't, is probable cause for detention and being charged, as all the elements of the crime of theft are then complete.

Get a lawyer. If you accept a plea bargain and community service, you'll still be convicted of a crime, and most carriers won't touch you after that, especially when they find out it was for trying to steal, of all things, a machete. That's crazy. Also keep in mind this is not a CD, this is a machete, something that most expediters and non-crazy people have no need of, and the judge will look at that very fact and weigh it with your age, and you'll be toast if you don't have a lawyer.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I used to be a rent a cop....Amonger and Turtle is correct...

It was observe, then follow and when past the point of purchase, as the suspect past thru the exit doors...detain...

You shouldn't even require a lawyer with a well prepared statement....A meeting with the DA's office before the court date might just do the trick...

 

[highway star]

I'm in the "get a lawyer" camp. I wouldn't want to be in a court of law without one.

A machete? Really? O.K....

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I'm in the "get a lawyer" camp. I wouldn't want to be in a court of law without one.

A machete? Really? O.K....

a talk with the DA offices beforehand wouldn't hurt any...

 

[highway star]

a talk with the DA offices beforehand wouldn't hurt any...

I'd do that with a lawyer. I would want every advantage possible to keep this from haunting me for the rest of my life.

 

[LDB]

Always get a lawyer and always get a shopping cart.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I am thinking you'll come out of this ok..minus a few bucks....but it could be used as a life lesson for the kids....bad decision making..and consequences of such...it is kind of funny in a way...

 

[60MPH]

So lucky you did not get charged for concealing a weapon. A machete is considered a weapon and in most states putting it in your waist band (even if the handle is out) is considered concealing it. To prove my point stick a gun in your waistband with only the grip out, and see what will happen if you don't have a carry permit. Getting charged with concealing a weapon would of put a hurting on your career in this line of work.

When I worked in LOP you had to exit the building to be considered shoplifting, that was in MD. Other states have a different point of no return. Get a lawyer they can have this knocked down to nothing, to protect your clean record.

 

[ATeam]

The people who are telling you to get a lawyer are correct. This is serious. You have been cited. It's not about who is right or wrong. It's not about saving money. It's not about how you feel. It's about defending yourself and your career against that citation. Talking to the DA is also a good idea.

Either way, wake up, dude. You are in serious trouble.

A conviction for shoplifting will haunt you for the rest of your life. Employers in the future will not care about your explanation. They will care about the conviction. If you aspire to be something more than a truck wash bay supervisor, get a lawyer, one who knows the DA and the court in whatever county you were cited in.

 

[jjoerger]

I agree, get a lawyer and fight it.
My stepson was a minor and in High School at the time. It almost stopped him from being qualified to join the Navy. The Judge was sympathetic and just had him take some type of class and threw out the charge.