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Unlawful Concealment of goods?

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CoREYG

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? North Carolina.

a friend and i were in a local walmart, when he decided to boost a couple of tiems for his new paintball gun. after getting about 40$ in items, he hid the package of one of them and rounded the aisle. Not even 5 seconds later, a loss prevention guy came up. (we hadnt attempted to leave.)

he flashed a badge that i found later to be fake, and had a gun on his hip. also a fake. (it was a CO2 BB gun.) Now i didnt have anything on me, but i was dressed sort of like my friend was, so he took us both into the back.

There, he told us to put everything we had in our pockets onto the table. i had a few things, but they were mine. i.e my ipod, and headphones. a few officers came a while later, and began writing the papers up. the entire pile of what my friend had in his pockets, plus our own things now, now on the table.

what i dont get however, is that i had nothing that belonged to the store, yet it was written down like i did.

that is my first thing i would like to have cleared up. is that legal?

my second, is that when we went to court over it, the judge asked if i had a record. i didnt, and dont up to this day, so he gave me a paper with a class that requires me to pay 250$ to take. this class would dismiss the case and if i had the money, i would. but thats the problem. at 18 i have a summer job, but i've also got bills that need to be paid.

Now i was told that when i go back, if i havent taken the class, i'll have to plead either not guilty, or guilty on the spot. and what i would like is a public defender. however it probably will not be given, and nor was i given the option as whether or not to get one.

that is second and last of the problems.

any advice as to what i should do, or could do would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,

Corey.
 


CdwJava

Senior Member
You were given the option of diversion to keep this off your record. if you do not want diversion and would prefer a trial (and a risk of a criminal record) it is your right to tell them to f-off and to go to trial. At that point you would be given the opportunity to request a public defender.

Your call.

- Carl
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Nothing prevents loss prevention guys from having badges (it may not be a police badge, but calling it fake is probably a little severe). If he didn't represent himself as a cop, but a private guard, there's nothing improper. Subject to local gun laws he's allowed to wear a gun. There's nothing improper about having a fake gun if you're allowed a real one.

You will be asked to plead if you blow off the diversion continuance. Most likely they will give you a chance to get counsel, but you're trying the judges patience if you agreed to the diversion and then blow it off.
 

CoREYG

Junior Member
Well he didnt really give me a chance to agree/disagree.

he kinda gave me the paper and pushed me along.
 

CoREYG

Junior Member
The judge, who gave me the paper with information regarding the class to take.

i had planned on asking for a PD, but as soon as he handed me the paper he called up another person.
 

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