What Happens If You Get Caught Shoplifting From Walmart?
If you are caught shoplifting from Walmart in Texas, you may face criminal theft charges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VRl2SvbvQQ What does shoplifting mean? The term “shoplifting” means stealing merchandise from an open retail store. Under Texas law, shoplifting is a type of theft, as defined by Texas Penal Code § 31.03. To simplify its criminal laws, Texas prosecutes most theft-based offenses —including shoplifting, embezzlement, extortion, and receiving stolen property— as theft. The theft statute reads: “A person commits an offense if he unlawfully appropriates property with intent to deprive the owner of property.” In other words, if you take property that is not yours without permission and don’t intend to give it back, you have committed theft. When you commit theft from a retail store during regular business hours, this is considered shoplifting. Does Walmart call the cops for shoplifting? Although anti-theft practices and policies can vary between stores, Walmart will often call the cops for shoplifting offenses. If you are caught shoplifting from a Walmart, a loss prevention officer may reasonably detain you at the store until the police arrive. Walmart has loss prevention officers at every store that watch for shoplifters. They are on the floor and in the back watching everyone on camera. A common shoplifting case the loss prevention officers look for is when a person scans some items, but leaves others in the basket and tries to exit the store without paying for those items. Or a person simply walks by the cash registers without stopping to scan…