What Are Shoplifting Laws In Kentucky?
Criminal offenses such as petty theft and shoplifting are penalized under the category of theft by illegal disposition or taking in Kentucky. The state attaches severe penalties to the convicted of these criminal offenses. Hence, it is important for the people in the state to be aware of the shoplifting laws of Kentucky and the consequences of committing such a crime.
Shoplifting in Kentucky
In Kentucky, shoplifting is a criminal offense with severe punishments and may result in prison time and fine upon conviction. Apart from facing criminal punishments, a shoplifter in Kentucky can be prosecuted by merchants or retailers for recovering damages in a civil court. According to the shoplifting laws of the state, the offense is penalized under the category of theft by illegal disposition or taking as mentioned earlier and the state categorizes any crime related to theft as a felony or a misdemeanor like many other American States.
The law in Kentucky mentions anhydrous ammonia and firearms as kinds of property, which may fall under the category of a felony if they are the inclusions of a robbery irrespective of their value in terms of dollars. The state law penalizes the offense of shoplifting to any person who has taken another person's property with the intention of depriving the property's owner or its worth.
The state law can consider the act of hiding up purchased items in a shop as rebuttable proof that a person had the intention of depriving the goods' owner without paying for the same.
Criminal Penalties for Shoplifting in Kentucky
In Kentucky, criminal punishments for shoplifting are more severe in nature as there is an in tease in the stolen items' dollar value.
The state divides theft charges into three different categories based on how severe the theft is.
- Class A misdemeanor- It includes all those criminal offenses, which include the theft of items, which are valued at 500 USD or less than that. These offenses are penalized by maximum jail time of 12 months and a maximum fine of 500 USD.
- Class D feeling- Crimes that fall under this category include theft of items that are valued in the range of 500 USD and 1,000 USD. They are penalized with prison time of one to five years while the fines could be an amount of 10,000 USD or double the original's gain.
- Class C felony: These are those criminal offenses. Which comprise of robbing merchandise with a value of 10,000 USD or more. These felonies are penalized with a prison term between one and five years and a fine amounting to 10,000 USD or to double the original's gain.
Civil Punishments
Shoplifters of the unemancipated minor shoplifter's legal guardians or parents in the state of Kentucky can be prosecuted in the civil court by the victims for claiming actual damages. The penalty can be the merchandise's retail value, up to 500 USD, as well as an extra-fine amount in the range of 100 USD and 250 USD.
Defenses Available for Defendants in Kentucky
The statutes in Kentucky have come up with some specific defenses available for committing a theft in the state. The defendant, for example, can claim that he/she was unaware of the ownership or the service or property. It means they did not know that such an item belonged to someone else. The defendant can also establish that they thought the property in question was available for sale and intended to buy and pay for the same quickly. or had reasons to believe that the property owner would have given consent for them to take that property.
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