Stealing Charges in Pine Lawn, MO - for as little as $450

Have you recently been charged with stealing and/or theft in or near Pine Lawn, MO (or anywhere near the St. Louis area)? If so, are you now trying to figure out all of your options and rights? For instance, do you know if your particular case is a misdemeanor or felony level charge? Was the value of the goods allegedly stolen more or less than $500? Are you thinking about pleading guilty to this charge? If so, are you fully aware of the consequences of that decision? Are you familiar with the all of the benefits one receives from retaining the services of an experienced attorney to help you through the process?

Before you do anything at all with the Pine Lawn MO stealing charge, please know that it IS NOT in your best interest to plead guilty!! Pleading guilty to this kind of charge can only bring about some very negative consequences.

As of January 1, 2017, the following laws regarding stealing / theft / shoplifting went into effect:

1. If you are caught with goods valuing less than $150, and you have had no prior stealing-related charges, it is a Class D Misdemeanor
2. If you are caught with goods valuing between $150 - $750, it is a Class A Misdemeanor
3. If you are caught stealing an animal; or if you have been previously found guilty of three 93) stealing-related cases within ten (10) years of the present case, it is a Class E Felony
4. If you are caught with goods valuing between $750 - $25,000, it is a Class D Felony
5. If you are caught with goods valuing $25,000 or more, it is a Class C Felony

And then of course there are the more long term consequences!! For example, getting a job or a decent apartment in the future could prove difficult (because most employers and landlords run criminal background checks); getting a student loan, or even getting into certain schools, might be hard with a criminal conviction; and keep any existing governmental benefits (like food stamps, unemployment security, and even public housing).

But there is a much better alternative!! We would first of all take a close look at all the facts surrounding your case to see if there are any defenses that we might assert on your behalf. We would also want to work with the local prosecutor to get the charges reduced to a minor infraction (so that nothing negative shows up on your record). And at the very least, we can work to get an SIS from the court (SIS stands for “suspended imposition of sentence”). This usually involves a period of time during which you are under probation (from one to two years in length). If at the close of the probationary period you have not gotten into any more trouble, then the initial charge drops off completely.

The affordable St. Louis stealing defense attorneys at The Bankruptcy Company, have been helping people with their theft charges for over ten (10) years. Our goal is to make sure that the charges leveled against you do not stay on your permanent record, and do any lasting damage. And we want to do all of this at an affordable price. The fees for a typical shoplifting case start at $450. But the initial consultation to discuss your legal issues is free of charge. So contact us today!!

We have two main locations: in the Central West End of St. Louis, at 1 North Taylor (on the corner of Taylor and Laclede), 63108; and in the Twin Cities of Festus / Crystal City, at 1000 Truman Blvd (Highway 61/67), 63019. The initial consultation is free of charge. So contact us today to learn more!!