A Rock Hill resident was apprehended by police when to woman was caught stealing almost 50 separate pieces of jewelry from the Rock Hill Galleria.
According to a police report, the woman went to the Belk Store at the Rock Hill Galleria on Friday night with a pillow case and her purse in hand.
The woman took price tags off several pieces of jewelry and put them in the pillow case, which was concealed by a jacket she was wearing.When the woman attempted to leave the store, a security guard stopped her and confiscated around $2,000 worth of jewelry she had stolen.
After apprehending the suspect, authorities charged her with shoplifting.
Getting charged with shoplifting in the state of South Carolina is a very serious crime. Furthermore if one has purposefully concealed the items in question, the prosecution may use evidence against the defendant to presume shoplifting has occurred.
According to South Carolina Statutes, Sections 16-13-110 defines “concealment” in terms of shoplifting means “to hide merchandise on the person or among the belongings of a person so that, although there may be some notice of its presence, it is not visible through ordinary observation.” S.C. Stat. 16-13-110(2006).
Moreover, section 16-13-120 allows for the state to draw a presumptions from concealment of unpurchased goods, stating in pertinent part that ” it is permissible to infer that any person wilfully concealing unpurchased goods or merchandise of any store or other mercantile establishment either on the premises or outside the premises of the store has concealed the article with the intention of converting it to his own use without paying the purchase price thereof” within the meaning of the concealment definition provided above.S.C. Stat. 16-13-120(2006)
Contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower to consult with one of our criminal attorneys if you or someone you know has been charged with the crime of shoplifting. We are licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina, where you can contact us at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.