Rumsey, CA Criminal Defense Law Firms & Lawyers

They will send you a request for money. You can pay it or not, but at the end of the day, minors cannot enter into a contract so the document will be unenforceable. The issue is, whether the store will file a criminal complaint.

I practice in Oakland and here on your first 273.5 you would get informal probation, 52 weeks of anger management classes and maybe some community service. Highly doubtful you will get jail time. What you might want to do is find an anger management program on your own, maybe through a church or call the Dept of Health in your community and then bring proof to the court that you have signed up and are attending classes. They might let you do the 52 weeks at that program or make you go to another one but the court will be impressed that you recognize your problem and are taking steps on your own to deal with it. Also if alcohol played any roll go to 3 AA classes/week and bring proof that you attended to the court.

Do not confuse a civil demand letter with a fine. You do not have any fines unless and until you are found guilty or plead guilty in court. In the United States, there are civil and criminal laws. Civil laws concern private matters. Criminal laws concern public matters. If the store is demanding that you pay them for something you stole, this is a civil matter. If you are arrested and charged with a crime by the police and district attorney's office, that is a criminal or public wrong. Though they are both related to the same incident, they are completely different. You do not have to pay for the civil matter without a judge ordering you to do so; you will have the opportunity to appear and fight these civil charges. In a criminal case, however, you will have a court date that you must appear to answer the charges and you can plead guilty with penalties then.