Retail theft, arson, burglary Criminal Law Retail theft, arson, burglary
Retail Theft’s 5 components Taking physical control of merchandise without paying Altering the price of merchandise Changing the contents of containers
The under ring-employee charges less than the ticket price Removing security strip or inventory tag to defeat security system
Detention for Retail theft Suspect may be detained with probable cause for the following reasons: Require suspect to ID themselves determine if the suspect has un-purchased merchandise Recover lost merchandise Inform law enforcement
Levels of Retail Theft 1st offense-summary offense, $150 or less in fines 2nd offense-2nd degree misdemeanor, $150 or less in fines
1st or 2nd offense-1st degree misdemeanor, $150 or more in fines Third offense-3rd degree felony, any value in fines
Fingerprinting Anyone over 16 years old who is charged with retail theft must be fingerprinted to see if its their first offense, etc
Burglary Guilty if enter a building or occupied structure with the intent to commit a crime inside Assume that the burglar is not licensed to be there Assume the premises are not open to the public at time of entry
Assumed the building has not been abandoned 1st degree felony
Arson Guilty if you start a fire or cause an explosion Guilty if pays or agrees to pay for another to cause a fire or explosion Includes destroying buildings for insurance money
Hard to prosecute unless there is a witness Police want to know Is the fire of a suspicious nature? Who might have had motive?
Police build a case around circumstantial evidence Comes from inferences Not from actual personal knowledge or observation of facts