Petty Theft - Possible Misdemeanor

[PeninsulaDude]

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So today at I shoplifted $8 worth of food from Walmart. I have an eating disorder and I forgot my wallet in my car and needed to get something to eat. I was caught and brought into the office and since I did not have my ID on me, the police were called. They took my information and everything like that. Walmart said they would be sending me a bill for the stolen items. The police said there would be a statement for my arrest sent to me with a court appearance date for a ‘misdemeanor’ sent to me in about a month. He said most likely they would give me probation or community service but that the misdemeanor would be part of my permanent record. The Walmart this occurred at was in a different county than my home county because I was traveling at the time. Therefore this makes this situation complicated I think. I have a completely clean record prior to this.


I am currently a pre-med student working my butt off to get into medical school, and from the little research I have done regarding this, it looks like if I have this ‘petty theft’ misdemeanor on my record, I am going to have an incredibly difficult time getting any job, let alone becoming a doctor or getting into medical school. I feel I just ruined my whole life. Forever. I am already a person who has a lot of anxiety and stress and this is making things ten times worse. My questions regarding this situation are as follow:

1. What should be my next steps regarding this issue. This happened yesterday. Should I wait to appear in court or get a lawyer/legal consult now? Do I need to act ASAP or just wait?
2. If I get legal consult/ a lawyer, would this have to be someone from the county that the crime occurred in or could it be someone from my home county?
3. Is there anyway to have this completely removed or never appear on my record?
4. Is there a way to get the prosecutor to drop the charges before there is a trial or before I have to appear in court?
5. How do I see if there is a pre-trial deferment program in this county?
6. If I do have it removed or never appear on my record by some miracle or if I was never charged or convicted, would I need to report this on job or med school applications?
7. I live with my parents but they will probably disown me and kick me out if they find out about this...any suggestions on how to handle this or have them not find out?

I know what I did was criminal, wrong, and does not align with my values, who I am as a person, or my morals. I was impulsive, got caught up in the moment, and let my eating disorder get the best of me. I see a therapist right now and will be working through this issue with them. Thank you for your comments and responses.

 

[Goro]

Talk to a lawyer.

Get your mental health issues in check before you even think of applying to medical school.

 

[username456789]

So today at I shoplifted $8 worth of food from Walmart. I have an eating disorder and I forgot my wallet in my car and needed to get something to eat. I was caught and brought into the office and since I did not have my ID on me, the police were called. They took my information and everything like that. Walmart said they would be sending me a bill for the stolen items. The police said there would be a statement for my arrest sent to me with a court appearance date for a ‘misdemeanor’ sent to me in about a month. He said most likely they would give me probation or community service but that the misdemeanor would be part of my permanent record. The Walmart this occurred at was in a different county than my home county because I was traveling at the time. Therefore this makes this situation complicated I think. I have a completely clean record prior to this.


I am currently a pre-med student working my butt off to get into medical school, and from the little research I have done regarding this, it looks like if I have this ‘petty theft’ misdemeanor on my record, I am going to have an incredibly difficult time getting any job, let alone becoming a doctor or getting into medical school. I feel I just ruined my whole life. Forever. I am already a person who has a lot of anxiety and stress and this is making things ten times worse. My questions regarding this situation are as follow:

1. What should be my next steps regarding this issue. This happened yesterday. Should I wait to appear in court or get a lawyer/legal consult now? Do I need to act ASAP or just wait?
2. If I get legal consult/ a lawyer, would this have to be someone from the county that the crime occurred in or could it be someone from my home county?
3. Is there anyway to have this completely removed or never appear on my record?
4. Is there a way to get the prosecutor to drop the charges before there is a trial or before I have to appear in court?
5. How do I see if there is a pre-trial deferment program in this county?
6. If I do have it removed or never appear on my record by some miracle or if I was never charged or convicted, would I need to report this on job or med school applications?
7. I live with my parents but they will probably disown me and kick me out if they find out about this...any suggestions on how to handle this or have them not find out?

I know what I did was criminal, wrong, and does not align with my values, who I am as a person, or my morals. I was impulsive, got caught up in the moment, and let my eating disorder get the best of me. I see a therapist right now and will be working through this issue with them. Thank you for your comments and responses.

I imagine you’ll get better responses here than Letsrun.

 

[LizzyM]

As best I know, lawyers are licensed ("admitted to the bar") in a specific state so any criminal defense lawyer in the state should know how to handle a misdemeanor in any county in that state. That said, a lawyer from that county may have better insights into the judges in a particular courthouse and how things might go down in that location vs other locations in the state.

A lawyer will be able to tell you how you might mitigate this in terms of your record. If this is your first offense, you may be cut some slack, particularly if you are young.

If you are an adult and you have the resources to hire a lawyer, you don't have to involve your parents. However, they may find out soon enough. They may not have to kick you out if you are sentenced to 30 days in jail... you'll already be out of the house. Seriously, your parents love you and they may surprise you in their ability to rally to your cause and to help you get the best lawyer they can afford (if you can't afford a lawyer one will be appointed but court appointed lawyers are paid a pittance and just want to get in and out as quickly as possible rather than really being invested in getting the best possible deal for you). So, if you think that your parents will be on your side, sit them down and tell them you are in a heap of trouble and you need their love and their support now more than ever.

 

[mellie0]

Get a lawyer in your state! They’ll know the answer to all of those questions. We know about getting into med school, not about getting a misdemeanor expunged from your record.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, OP. Please get a lawyer and try to come out of this as clean as you can! And then you can worry about med school admissions.

 

[Dr. Scribe]

10/10 Troll post. $%#@ing hilarious lol

 

[curbsideconsult]

@Dr. Scribe you're probably right that it's a troll post, but an interesting one.

What should be my next steps regarding this issue. This happened yesterday. Should I wait to appear in court or get a lawyer/legal consult now? Do I need to act ASAP or just wait?

ASAP.

If I get legal consult/ a lawyer, would this have to be someone from the county that the crime occurred in or could it be someone from my home county?

What LizzyM said.

Is there anyway to have this completely removed or never appear on my record?

Get a lawyer then ask her/him.

Is there a way to get the prosecutor to drop the charges before there is a trial or before I have to appear in court?

Get a lawyer then let her/him do the work for you.

How do I see if there is a pre-trial deferment program in this county?

Get a lawyer and ask her/him. Or ask the google.

If I do have it removed or never appear on my record by some miracle or if I was never charged or convicted, would I need to report this on job or med school applications?

I think you were already charged. Even if you get something expunged, nothing legal ever really goes away. Unless you have some mad connections. Probably need to report it. Get a lawyer then ask her/him. Search the SDN. Ask the adcoms.

I live with my parents but they will probably disown me and kick me out if they find out about this...any suggestions on how to handle this or have them not find out?

Get to the mailbox first.