Retiree’s Theft Charge Dismissed

A retiree in her mid-sixties was shopping at a local Meijer store and made an extremely uncharacteristic and poor decision. While shopping, she tried to conceal items in her purse. On her way out of the store, she was stopped by loss prevention and escorted back to their office. While in the office, she was questioned about the items and confessed to trying to have taken them, but was at a loss trying to explain why. She was charged with theft and scheduled for arraignment in Franklin County Municipal Court.

This woman had never had more than a traffic ticket. She was devastated at being charged with a criminal theft charge. Theft is a first-degree misdemeanor and is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Additionally, the thought of having a criminal record after living such a law abiding life was overwhelming. Given these circumstances, she decided she needed help and reach out to the Columbus Criminal Defense team. Attorney Ben Luftman initially spoke with her and explained all of her options. She decided to retain the team and we began work on her behalf right away.

Attorneys with LHA attended court on her behalf. The prosecutor had the evidence to convict our client; there was no good way of arguing the facts. However, we attempted to explain to the prosecutor just how out of character this was and how our client had otherwise led a long and distinguished life. The prosecutor listened to our argument and ultimately agreed to dismiss the case for our client’s payment of court costs and completion of additional conditions.

The dismissal greatly relieved our client because it removed the stain from her otherwise spotless record.

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