Shoplifting / Theft / Juvenile / Diversion / PTI / AVVO / Michael A. Haber, Esq. **ARRESTED / **305DUI

Q:     What should I expect in court and my punishment be if they decide to charge me? What are the cost of court, booking at pjac?  Thursday after school, my best friend Ashley and I got caught shoplifting and charges with grand theft. (We are waiting on if sweet bay wants to press charges on retail theft or not. I was an estimate of $510 worth of make up. I was arrested but this is my first offense. I am a juvenile, of 15 years old.

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Answered 9 months ago. If this is your first offense then it is almost certain that you will be eligible for a diversionary program. Diversion is a program which is designed to make you think twice about future criminality by way of making you jump through a series of proverbial hoops during a period of supervision, successful completion of which results in a dismissal. The program is owned and operated by the State Attorney’s Office and they have absolute and unequivocal discretion as to whether to admit you, keep you or “graduate” you from their program. That said, the question is whether or not diversion is right for you. There may or may not be viable defenses to the charges, affirmative or otherwise, or there may be factual, legal, procedural or substantive mechanisms by which to attack and beat the charges without going through diversion.

The best way for you to get competent advise is going to be to have a face-to-face meeting with a criminal defense lawyer who can follow-up on your information with questions of her/his own, as well as review the police reports and citations and then offer an informed opinion.

Please take a look at my Avvo Legal Guide on diversion in Florida. It contains a great deal of information on the subject and should be helpful to you.

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/pre-trial-intervention–diversion-what-is-it-and-is-it-right-for-me

I hope that this has been helpful and wish you the best of luck!

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Since 1991 Michael A. Haber, P.A. has been creatively, effectively and zealously representing clients, both juvenile and adult, in both State and Federal Courts, in criminal cases ranging from DUI to drug trafficking and from misdemeanors to first degree murder.

At Michael A. Haber, P.A. “Its all about reasonable doubt”! 

Michael A. Haber, Esq. is prepared to speak with you about your case!

1-888-SHARK-8-1, 305-798-2220, **ARRESTED, **305DUI, **MIAMIDUI, **MIAMILAW or **HABERLAW.

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