Three Defendants Charged with Shoplifting in Wayne NJ
Three individuals, two of them from Philadelphia, were arrested following an incident that took place at the Willowbrook Mall, which is located in Wayne Township last month. According to the reports, the Defendants are alleged to have been working in concert with one another to shoplift from the H&M department store. The loss prevention staff members alleges that they physically observed the three Defendants purposely removing sensor tags from approximately $300 worth of clothing. The Defendants would then attempt to return the said items to the cashier so that they could obtain a store credit for the value of the merchandise. Two of the Defendants were arrested and released on a summons to appear in the Passaic County Superior Court, for their central judicial processing hearing. The third Defendant was taken into custody and brought to the Passaic County Jail, which is located in Paterson. The Defendant apparently had an active warrant out of Bridgewater Township and as a result must be detained till they warrant could be executed. Since the value of the items were in excess of $200 but less than $500, the Defendants will be charged with a fourth degree felony. Since it is a felony offense, the charges will be transferred to the Passaic County Superior Court for disposition. With that being said, it is possible for the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office to downgrade the charges back to the Wayne Municipal Court. If that is to occur, the charges will no longer be considered felony offenses but disorderly persons offenses. For more information on downgrading shoplifting charges in New Jersey, please contact our office at (732) 856-9959.
Can I be Charged with Shoplifting?
This is just another example of whereby a Defendant could be accused of shoplifting. Pursuant to NJSA 2C:20-11, which is the governing statute in New Jersey shoplifting, a Defendant could be charged with shoplifting if they purposely take possession of, conceal, alter, transfer or remove any label / price tag with the intent to deprive the owner of the value of the merchandise. So as you can see, the term shoplifting encompasses a wide array of potential conduct. For more information on shoplifting charges, including how to defend shoplifting cases, please feel free to contact one of our New Jersey shoplifting defense attorneys at (732) 856-9959. One of our attorney are available immediately for a free initial consultation.
Shoplifting Lawyer in Wayne NJ
Being charged with an offense like shoplifting can be extremely stress, especially considering for most, this is their first time ever dealing with the criminal justice system. New Jersey, especially Wayne Township, takes shoplifting offenses very seriously. Do to the fact that the Willowbrook Mall is located in the heart of Wayne, they tend to deal with more than there fair share of shoplifting offenses. If you would like to speak to one of our Wayne Township shoplifting defense attorneys about your options, then please feel free to contact our office at (732) 856-9959.
For more information on this incident, please checkout Northjersey.com’s article labeled Wayne: Police Blotter, Sept. 22, 2017