The Plantation Police are looking for a suspect accused of walking into a hobby shop on Peters Road and taking approximately $2,200 worth of radio-controlled trucks from the store.
This store has apparently been the target of thefts in the past.
Closed-circuit surveillance cameras allegedly captured the theft on film. Police also have a make and model of the suspect’s car.
Any theft in the State of Florida between $300 and $20,000 is a grand theft in third-degree. Grand theft in the third-degree is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 5 years in state prison.
The severity of the offense depends upon the degree of grand theft. The higher the degree, the higher the value.
Anything under $300 and the crime is a petit theft.
Grand theft most often consists of retail thefts, or shoplifting incidents. If the value of the item taken exceeds $300, the the obvious charge is grand theft.
The state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the item taken belonged to another person and that the value exceeds $300. Value must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If a jury has doubts as to whether the value is greater than $300, they can find the accused guilty of the lesser-included offense of petit theft.
The value of an item is based on the fair market value. Things considered may be the retail price, what other retailers charge for the item, and the condition that the item was in at the time it was stolen.
Penalties for grand theft can range from Pretrial Intervention (PTI) all the way up to state prison time.
Eric Matheny is a Miami grand theft lawyer and Broward grand theft lawyer. Eric Matheny represents clients in both counties on all manners of theft crimes.