<p>So my friends and I snuck into a movie theater through my friend, an employee that works there. Not that its of any importance but we went to see Dark knight, which all 3 of us already saw…</p>
<p>Anyways we got caught and they charged us with a misdemeanor. 537 PC Theft of Services. The good thing is I’m 17 (which is under 18 which means im not charges as an adult) and the cop said as long as i do everything i need to and take care of it, it will be erased from my record when I’m 18 or something like that.</p>
<p>If it counts for anything we sorta thought we weren’t doing anything wrong because we were friends of an employee.</p>
<p>Anyways, will this truly go away from my record if i do everything they ask? is this a serious crime? They were also talking about community service and stuff</p>
<p>The security guard there exaggerated the whole situation when he explained it to the manager but we were in no position to argue and i don’t think we deserved to get these tickets…</p>
<p>I have to talk to a youth officer…should i argue my case…the thing i have to argue with is that my friend let us in which we thought could have been OK…at the time the manager and security guard thought we waited until nobody was looking and snuck in…which is not what happened…</p>
<p>i think if we told the manager of the theater that an employee let us in then he wouldn’t have called the police…but at the time we were defending my friend</p>
<p>So should i try to make a case or should i just say im guilty and do community service</p>
<p>I don’t know if u guys answer these types of questions but i need some advice plzzzzzzzz !!!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, no attorney here can provide you with advice on a message board. </p>
<p>I would suggest that you and your parents consult with a local attorney, and then, together, decide what is best for you in this situation. A local attorney may be able to provide you with options and important information that you have not yet considered.</p>
<p>Why would you ever think it was OK to sneak in to see a movie? If the movie theater owner charges admission to the theater, why would it be OK to sneak in for free? Would it be OK to take something from a store without paying? Would it be OK if your friend the cashier said go ahead, take it? </p>
<p>Those are rhetorical questions by the way.
The correct answer is NO it’s NOT OK.</p>
<p>PS, sallyawp is right – you need to speak with an attorney there. Yeah that will cost money, and yeah it will be much more than the price of the ticket you “stole.”</p>
<p>Obviously you should talk to a lawyer, but I don’t think you have a case to make. I think you should count yourself lucky if you can do community service and have it expunged from your record.</p>
<p>See a lawyer, one who specializes in juvenile law matters.</p>
<p>The provision in question, Penal Code section 537, states: “Any person who obtains any food, fuel, services, or accommodations at a hotel, inn, restaurant, boardinghouse, lodginghouse, apartment house, bungalow court, motel, marina, marine facility, autocamp, ski area, or public or private campground, without paying therefor, with intent to defraud the proprietor or manager thereof…is guilty of a public offense punishable” if the value is less than $400, by a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment in a county jail for a term not exceeding six months.</p>
<p>On its face, this doesn’t seem to apply (though you may have committed a different offense, or this one may be applicable somehow to your situation); there is also an issue of intent to defraud.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with California legal code. This would seem like a lower class misdemeanor, right? I think with a good lawyer you have a pretty good chance of getting it expunged. If not, don’t worry, with a record like that, you can always become a congressman.</p>
<p>Do see a lawyer – mamenyu is correct about PC 537 not applying, so there’s a good chance that with a lawyer the whole thing will be dismissed. Obviously, in the long run, you would have been better off to pay the cost for a movie ticket.</p>
<p>I’d also recommend you spoke with a trusted parent or clergyman about this. If you feel sneaking into a movie theatre aided by an employee is “sorta wrong” you need some fine tuning on your moral compass. There is no “sorta” to it. It was wrong, and you knew it was wrong. If the employee had been authorized to let you in free, he would have had you walk in the front door and said “these are my guests”, or words to that effect. If you tell a judge you thought it was ok because an employee helped you sneak in, the judge will ask you- if it was ok, then why did you sneak in?
Whether or not you face a legal penalty, I hope you learn a couple of valuable life lessons about stealing(services), and about facing up to the consequences of your actions. Good luck.</p>