My 16yr old son is charged with petty theft what should I do?

[baigh75]

My son was caught shoplifting this week for an item under 50$ and it is his first offense. He is now charged with petty theft and on the ticket the officer gave us we are scheduled to go to court in two months. Since it was his first offense and the item was under 50$ as noted on the ticket will we be sent a courtesy notice? If we do not receive a courtesy notice can we call the given number and request to pay for the fine without showing up? My wife and I want to avoid going to court and pay for it by mail. As for the consequences he was banned from the mall for a year unless accompanied by us.

Other details about the ticket we were given the officer marked it as a misdemeanor and checked out the juvenile traffic box rather then the juvenile criminal. As for details about my son he has no criminal background as this is his first offense. Since he is 16 and underage will the court search up my background?

[charlot22]

I would recommend contacting a local criminal law attorney. You do not want your son having a misdemeanor on his record.

[juanito]

Its time you sat down and talked to your son about good theft and bad theft. You have to explain to him that if you steal millions then you can afford to buy a good lawyer and a good judge and still have lots of money left over. This petty thievery is not good because sometimes it leaves you with a Criminal record and if he keeps it up he will be spending time in prison learning how to steal more with less chance of getting caught.

[shipley]

Why don't you want your son to experience the consequences of theft? He needs to sweat a little where there are no emotional ties.

[gobrwy]

Fine, non-reporting probation, maybe community service. If you want your kid to get into a big ten school get a lawyer.

[eochaidh94]

Have him attend court.
Have the courts punish him. Being banned from a mall is not much of a punishment.

[hampton83]

Fat chance that was his first offense! wake up ! that was the first time he was caught! Why are you paying the fines? Make Mr.sticky fingers handle the whole mess including getting to court and coughing up the fine.The law says the retailer can demand 10X the face value of the stolen item.They will have to be paid plus filing fees and whatever the bond is going to be.Let him sit in jail is my advice or take him outside for a mano to mano.Kids running loose in packs is a recipe for temptation and juvenile pranks.The Mall is for kids who have their emotions and act together that can be trusted to behave.You kid is just being a kid easily led astray by his out of control peers.

[roche]

It appears that you already have a notice to appear in court when the officer indicated it on the ticket. The court will probably not send you a secondary, or courtesy notice to appear.

If you are looking to get out of a court appearance, check the ticket to see if there is a monetary fine indicated on the ticket. If there is, call the court, or the number that appears on the ticket to see if you can send payment for the fine via the mail, and avoid a court appearance. If there is no fine indicated on the ticket, then you are off to court on the date shown on the ticket. No way around that.

Since your son has no prior juvenile offenses against him, he'll probably get probation, a fine, and a stern lecture from the judge. If your son is questioned by the judge in court, he'd better not get an attitude, or give any snotty responses. Courts don't like arrogant kids, and the judge may make an example of him.

As for you, I don't know why the court would be interested in your background, unless it is a standard procedure for them. If it is, better hope you don't have any outstanding warrants, or criminal behavior in your history.