Few things look as bad on your record as an arrest for theft. They’re statistically proven to cost you income over your lifetime, be denied professional licenses, and even suffer the humiliation of being denied the right to serve on a jury.
When it comes to repairing your criminal record there are several ways to “skin the cat.” The key is working backwards through the case to see how we do everything possible to make sure our client is eligible for expunction or non-disclosure.
The primary way we approach this problem is by reviewing the facts of the case. Can the state prove the alleged theft or shoplifting occurred the way they say it did? Will be able to show the jury it’s reasonably possible the state’s accusing an innocent person?
Sometimes we might also try a mitigation approach. This means we show the state that if a theft occurred — it was a one-time misjudgment. We try to help the prosecutor gain context of the facts by showing them our clients have clean records to begin with… and/or the theft was a result of peer pressure or perhaps a difficult time in our client’s life.
Often, if we can get the prosecutor to agree to either lower the charges or if we can get them to offer an invitation into the pre-trial diversion program run by Collin County, then the end result can be expunction even if the case seem difficult.
The key to getting a great result in a theft or shoplifting case – is through thorough calculation and preparation.