When people find themselves in financial trouble, it is very easy to make mistakes resulting in criminal charges. Often times, these unfortunate moments occur when a person is already filled with anxiety and stress, thereby compounding their difficulties. For example, a woman recently found herself in a very compromising position when a costly divorce left her struggling to make ends meet. In an act of desperation, she attempted to conceal a large cut of salmon in her purse before leaving an area grocery store. The woman was stopped at the checkout line and upon discovering the $140 item, she was charged with shoplifting. The woman was very embarrassed and knew that a theft conviction would severely limit her future job prospects, which she needed now more than ever since her divorce left her in an untenable financial situation. The woman knew that she needed to protect herself, and in an effort to fight this theft charge, she came to the well-regarded criminal defense attorney Jessica McElfresh, based on her experience dealing with San Diego shoplifting charges.
After taking the woman’s case, attorney Jessica McElfresh set to work, so her client would not be unnecessarily burdened by this incident for the rest of her life. Attorney McElfresh negotiated with the district attorney’s office to find an alternate outcome for her client, rather than a conviction. Ultimately, she was able to leverage the woman’s situation and her unblemished record to resolve the situation. Her client would need to complete 50 hours of volunteer work and a single shoplifting class within 90 days to have the case dismissed in favor of a simple citation, similar to a traffic violation. After her client meets these conditions, she can move on and rest assured that she won’t need to disclose a theft conviction on any future job application.
The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.