Shoplifting and the Defense of Voluntary Abandonment
·By Ronald S. Chapman, P.A.
Some people think that if you steal something from inside a store but haven’t actually left the store that you are not guilty of shoplifting. That is incorrect. However, if someone steals something from inside a store but then changes his mind and abandons his plan to steal the item (before getting caught) by putting the item back or removing it from his bag and placing it with other merchandise, then that person may be able to use the defense of voluntary abandonment at his trial if he were prosecuted for shoplifting.