Lomita, Client Shoplifts $189 in Items from Vons, Diversion

Our client, age 73, had no prior criminal history of any sort. She was a model citizen, in fact, having volunteered nearly 4,000 hours of her time at a local hospital since she retired.

In a Nutshell: Our client, age 73 with no prior criminal history, accidentally walked out of the Torrance Vons on Crenshaw with $189 in groceries she forgot to pay for. Case resolved with judicial diversion in Torrance Superior Court for a dismissal after six months if she just stayed out of the store and picked up no new charges.

The heat made her car extremely hot, so after she got in, she turned up the air conditioning, but it was slow to work. She therefore decided to do her weekly grocery shopping a bit early at the Vons on the corner of Crenshaw and Lomita Boulevard. Besides, the store had air conditioning and she needed cooler air.

So she went into the store, picking up items that she would otherwise buy later in the week. She walked slowly, savoring the air conditioning and thinking about her friend’s family. Our client filled up her cloth shopping bags that she brought in with her. She selected over 55 items, including milk, cheese, yogurt, wine, bread, cereal and paper towels. Inside a Vons Grocery Store

The moment she stepped out of the store, loss prevention approached her and asked her to return to the store. Our client was mortified and ashamed, quickly apologizing and bursting into tears.

Our client did not even offer an excuse of being distracted by her thoughts.

Loss prevention methodically inventoried the contents of her shopping bags and called the Torrance Police Department, which came to the Vons and transported her to the Torrance Police Station. She was then booked and released on her own recognizance after about three hours.

It took the client about three weeks to call an attorney, as she was so embarrassed by the incident. When she called Greg Hill & Associates, she was at the verge of crying throughout the phone call. She described what had happened and expressed her big concern that she might be barred from volunteering any more at the hospital if convicted of shoplifting.

Greg explained that judicial diversion would certainly be available for her, but the terms set by the judge could be tough because of the dollar value of the items stolen and the quantity (55) suggested audacity and that maybe she had done this before. To help allay this suspicion, Greg recommended that the client enroll in and complete an online shoplifting program, which the client did immediately (within two days).

Torrance Courthouse

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