{"id":3416,"date":"2017-10-11T22:13:10","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T22:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/?page_id=3416"},"modified":"2017-10-11T22:13:10","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T22:13:10","slug":"petit-theft-shoplifting","status":"publish","type":"seo_pages","link":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/service-areas\/prince-william-county-services\/petit-theft-shoplifting\/","title":{"rendered":"Petit Theft\/Shoplifting in Prince William County, VA"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #f49602;\">Petit Theft \/ Shoplifting in Prince William County, VA<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Petit larceny can be a lot of things. Shoplifting is one example of a theft offense that can be a form of petit larceny. The statutes spells out two ways a theft offense may be considered petit larceny:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Taking cash or property worth less than $5 from a person<\/li>\n<li>Taking cash or property worth less than $200 not from a person<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cFrom a person\u201d means taking something that\u2019s on another person\u2019s body or in his or her physical possession or immediate control. Grabbing a wallet out of someone\u2019s hand or snatching a purse from someone\u2019s shoulder would be theft from a person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot from a person\u201d is a more indirect type of theft. If the person\u2019s wallet is inside a locker at a gym and you take it while the person is working out or taking a shower, the wallet isn\u2019t in his or her physical possession or immediate control. That would be a type of theft not from a person.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Petit Theft Defense in Prince William County, VA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Going back to the common law definition of the offense, to convict you of larceny a prosecutor has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Took personal goods<\/li>\n<li>Of some intrinsic value<\/li>\n<li>From another person<\/li>\n<li>Without his or her consent<\/li>\n<li>With the intent to steal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are a couple of ways that we can approach unraveling the prosecution\u2019s arguments, depending on what evidence and witnesses the prosecutor puts forward.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>No Taking<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Under common law, to establish that you took something, you have to have carried it away or generally removed it from the dominion of the owner. For example, the Virginia Supreme Court in the 2008 case Britt v. Commonwealth said a defendant has to \u201chold, seize, or grasp the property, with his hands or otherwise.\u201d So if you didn\u2019t actually take the item into your hands, or if you only picked up that wallet for a moment but never really deprived the owner of control, you may have a defense to the theft charge.<\/p>\n<p>But you may be considered to have taken the property if you instructed another person to grab it under the 1980 case of Turner v. Commonwealth.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Lack of Intent<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One way a good lawyer with experience fighting theft charges could defend you is by putting on evidence or witnesses that challenge the idea you intended to steal the cash or property.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes what is perceived as a theft is really just an accident or a mistake. You and another person have identical briefcases and you pick up the wrong one, or you put an item on the bottom of your shopping cart at the grocery store and forget about it when you check out because your mind is occupied with making sure your children get their homework done after dinner.<\/p>\n<p>If you didn\u2019t have the required intent, your case may be dismissed.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Consent<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Another way to fight a petit theft charge is to establish that you had consent or believed you had consent to take the property. That\u2019s basically another way of saying you had no intent to steal.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What is Prince William County Petit Theft?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>VA Code \u00a7 18.2-96 explains that petit larceny includes committing \u201csimple larceny not from the person of another of goods and chattels of the value of less than $200.\u201d If the value of the goods is $200 or more, it would fall under the grand larceny statute defined under VA Code \u00a7 18.2-95. In that case, the punishment can include \u201cimprisonment in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than twenty years or, in the discretion of the jury or court trying the case without a jury, be confined in jail for a period not exceeding twelve months or fined not more than $2,500, either or both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Often times, larceny is charged under the \u201cconcealment\u201d statute, which makes it easier for the prosecution to prove its case. The statute is found under Virginia Code \u00a7 18.2-103 and makes it larceny to conceal merchandise in a store, even if the person doesn\u2019t leave the store. It also makes it larceny to alter price tags of merchandise.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are the Penalties for Virginia Petit Theft?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Virginia Code \u00a718.2-11 sets the penalty for Class 1 misdemeanors at up to 12 months in jail and\/or a maximum $2,500 fine.<\/p>\n<p>If it is a first-time petit theft charge, the charge may be dismissed upon participation in an informal diversion program, including an anti-theft class, and\/or completing a certain amount of community service.<\/p>\n<p>However, there\u2019s a statute setting special penalties for multiple petit larceny convictions. Virginia Code \u00a718.2-104 sets a mandatory minimum of 30 days in jail when an individual is convicted of petit larceny and has a previous larceny conviction of any type either in Virginia or in another state.<\/p>\n<p>A third or subsequent conviction is a Class 6 felony with penalties including one to five years in prison and\/or a maximum $2,500 fine. Judges and juries generally have the discretion to give lighter sentences of less than 12 months for this class of felony.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><strong>We will always fight for you<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Everyone deserves the best defense possible, and our criminal defense attorneys are prepared to fight for you. If you\u2019ve been charged with petit larceny in Prince William County, we can help explore all of your options to get the best possible result in your case.<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #f49602;\">Call Raj Dua at (703) 382-7300 or email <a style=\"color: #242424; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"mailto:rdua@dualawfirm.com\">rdua@dualawfirm.com<\/a> for a free consultation.<\/span><\/h5>\n<h3 class=\"text-regular\">We\u2019re Here To Help With Any Traffic, Divorce, Criminal or Estate Planning Matter.<\/span><\/h3>\n<h5 class=\"text-regular\"> We know how important it is to get an attorney on the case right away, so we are available via phone and e-mail 24\/7 and offer a free initial consultation. Please do not hesitate to contact us today.<\/span><\/h5>\n<h3 class=\"text-regular\"><\/h3>\n<h4>See What Our Clients Have to Say<\/h4>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>I have never needed a lawyer before and did not know what to expect. Raj was able to answer all of my questions and explain to me what to expect and how he intended to help. He responded to e-mails promptly and was efficient and friendly throughout our interactions. He kept me up to speed with everything and was able to effectively execute his plan. I would definitely recommend him to anyone requiring representation and would work with him again if it was required.<\/p>\n<p>Raj did a phenomenal job with my reckless driving case&#8230; After doing my research, reading all the reviews, talking to couple of other lawyers, I decided to go with Raj. and I am so so so thankful I did. Not only he is professional and knows what he is doing, he is a very kind human being which I did not sense when talking to other lawyers. He works his best to get you the best outcome. He constantly assures you and calms you that it will be okay and keeps you posted throughout the process. Not to mention he is reasonably affordable compared to other lawyers who has half the experience Raj has, and he is reachable by cellphone, he also returns calls and emails in a swift manner, so you don&#8217;t have to talk to assistants and secretaries. Communication with him was very easy.<\/p>\n<p>Raj is a fantastic lawyer with excellent customer service skills (a rare mix for lawyers in my experience). He was very knowledgeable, personable, efficient, and professional. I was very at ease with my decision to retain his services. Throughout my time working with him, he was always courteous and was very efficient with his and my time. In the end, Raj achieved the result I wanted despite very difficult odds. I strongly recommend Raj\u2019s services!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":3386,"menu_order":0,"template":"","aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/seo_pages\/3416"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/seo_pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/seo_pages"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/seo_pages\/3416\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/seo_pages\/3386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dualawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}