Van Nuys, Client Shoplifts 79 Items from Michael’s, Diversion Granted

Our client, age 51, was in a state of panic. She had just been shopping in a nearby mall and taken the bag with her items to her car. She had one last stop to make, at Michael’s, to buy just a few items.

Condensed Version of This Case: Client, age 51, loads up her purse with 79 items at Michael’s in Van Nuys. She then walks out of the store and is stopped by loss prevention. She had no prior criminal history. Judicial diversion granted.

Our client then realized she needed to still return home with a full bag of items to show the money was not lost. She decided to still go into Michael’s, but to walk out with plenty of items to show for her shopping. She walked up and down each item, not only trying to buy items she had inexplicably lost, but to acquire those she originally needed to buy and intended to buy at Michael’s.

As she selected the 79 items at issue, she placed them in her purse, one by one. This caught the eye of loss prevention officers watching her. She loaded her purse with scrapbooking materials, costume jewelry, cheap necklaces, ornamental chains, eye pins, embossing powder, daubers, clear embossing fluid, recloseable bags and even stickers, as well as many other items.

As the client left the store, she paused to speak with a Michael’s employee about her lost bag of purchased items, but then proceeded out the front doors of the store with her purse full of items she had not paid for at all.

Loss prevention officers quickly stopped her, asking her to stop within a few feet of the exit. She was then asked to return inside the store to a back office.

Once inside the office, she was asked to open her purse, which she did, crying hysterically. The client tried to explain her conduct, but loss prevention was not inclined to simply let her go. They called the Van Nuys Police, who came to the store and cited our client, asking her to sign a promise to appear in the Van Nuys Superior Court in about two months.

The client was devastated. She immediately called Greg Hill & Associates and spoke with Greg. Greg listened to the client’s story and recommended that she enroll in and take an online shoplifting prevention course through the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention. As our client had no prior criminal history, he explained how the criminal process works and what she could expect. He also explained how he though the AB2124 judicial diversion program might apply to the case, although it was up to the judge’s discretion on whether or not to grant this.

The client quickly enrolled in and completed the online shoplifting prevention program. She then forwarded Greg her completion certificate.

Van Nuys Courthouse

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