If you’ve been accused of shoplifting in Suffolk County, NY and must go to court, the best decision you could possibly make is to hire a criminal defense lawyer who is experienced defending those types of cases.
Although there isn’t a guarantee you’ll beat the shoplifting case against you, the criminal defense lawyer will work on coming up with a creative defense strategy based on the facts that could potentially work in your favor and help you get out of trouble or avoid some of the more severe punishments, such as spending time in jail.
The exact type of defense strategy used by your lawyer will vary based on the situation, but there are several different things your lawyer may do or say to try to get you out of the legal mess you’re in.
Criminal Defense Attorney Legal Strategies in a Shoplifting Case
Possible Intoxication
Is it possible that you weren’t in your right mind when you were shoplifting? If there is a possibility you were drinking, using drugs, or even drugged by someone else before you entered the store that is accusing you of such a crime, your lawyer may start to use that as a defense strategy.
The lawyer may request surveillance footage from the establishment that might even show you stumbling, falling over, and acting out of the ordinary because you were under the influence of something. If you were intoxicated, you may have unknowingly grabbed something that didn’t belong to you without realizing you were stealing from an establishment.
Shoplifting Due to Poor Circumstances
Did you make the decision to shoplift because you’re a single parent who lives paycheck to paycheck and you’re struggling to provide food, clothes, and school supplies for the kids despite receiving some public assistance? If it’s hard for you to pay rent and bills, purchase food for the kids, and continue to meet their needs, you may have shoplifted because your children genuinely needed something you couldn’t afford to buy.
In this case, you did make a bad decision to steal, but the fact that you weren’t doing it out of selfishness and were doing it to benefit your children who depend on you may help to evoke some feelings of empathy from a judge. The judge may then choose to cut you some slack knowing you made that bad decision solely because you love your children and wanted to get them what they needed.
No matter the defense strategy your criminal defense lawyer comes up with, it’ll be necessary for him or her to provide proof to support the strategy and statements that are being made. If you hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer, he or she shouldn’t have a problem building a defense to help you out of this bad legal situation.