Sears Shoplifting Lawyers in New Jersey
Like many other large department stores, Sears has downsized in recent years and has even closed several stores based on the fact that many people do their shopping online these days. But there are still well over a dozen Sears locations throughout New Jersey and Sears continues to be one of the most aggressive stores when it comes to shoplifting charges in New Jersey. This is primarily due to the fact that they employ a large team of loss prevention officers who are professionally trained to first spot, and then detain potential shoplifters for the police to come. It is also important to note that you will normally be charged with the full retail value of the merchandise even if it was on sale at the time of the incident. This can quickly make the difference between being charged with a disorderly persons offense of shoplifting involving less than $200 or being charged with a felony such as third degree indictable crime of shoplifting. However, in those situations where you are charged with a low level felony, which does not involve thousands of dollars in merchandise, an experienced criminal lawyer can often speak with the county prosecutor to see if they would consider a remand to municipal court by downgrading the charges. No matter the facts of your case, it is important that you seek the legal advice or representation of an experienced New Jersey shoplifting lawyer. At Proetta & Oliver our attorneys have handled cases for well over a thousand different clients charged with shoplifting and related crimes. If you would like to learn more about how we may be able to help you, contact our office today at (732) 856-9959 for a free consultation.
Arrested for Shoplifting at Sears?
As stated above, Sears has several department store locations in New Jersey. Some are stand-alone stores such as the Sears in Middletown, New Brunswick, Watchung, and Hackensack. While other Sears stores are located in major shopping malls throughout New Jersey such as Woodbridge Center Mall, Freehold Raceway Mall, Livingston Mall, Rockaway Townsquare, Paramus Park, Newporte Centre in Jersey City, Ocean County Mall in Toms River, Seaview Square Shopping Center in Ocean Township, Willowbrook in Wayne and Quaker Bridge in Lawrenceville. However, no matter what town or location you are caught shoplifting, you will be dealing with prosecution by Sears Corporate who will send a store representative or loss prevention officer that will often be looking reimbursement, a civil penalty and no further trespassing in their store aside from a plea of guilty to a criminal offense. These officials or representatives routinely appear in the local municipal court on the day of the hearing. This can often provide a good opportunity for your defense attorney to speak with them and the prosecutor about potential evidentiary issues or mitigating factors that they can consider in downgrading or dismissing the case before trial.