If caught shoplifting and they later research cameras and see you have shoplifted many other times can those previous shopliftings be combined to 1 offense or can they charge you for previous acts?

Answer 1

Law are different per state and countries. (see Canada at bottom)

PLUS, different stores and different police officers handle a case like this differently. Basically the police can "charge" you on a complaint from, for whatever a store employee is willing to sign.

When a person is caught, they have them "red handed", but even video tapes normally don't have the "complete crimes" on them, just parts of it. So, they would try to get you to admit to it somehow, if they tell you they have you on tape other days stealing, and you say "Yes Sorry Can I get charged with them too?" Your confession would make their case solid. And they would be able to charge you for multiple cases with different dates and amounts, OR they could just make it one charge with the total dollar amount.

With this question, with the "they later researched and found"

I would say, when you were arrested, the cop did the crime report and/or complaint form, and turned it in for your conviction. Then the store at a later date, called the cop back, and said they found you on tape earlier doing the same thing.

I would think the cop would maybe give the store a choice of :

"to sign another separate charge" OR "just forget about it, you already got him, your not going to recover the items, and he is already not allowed back in the store again, and if the tape doesn't have the complete crime and he doesn't admit to it, it would be worthless anyways.

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YES. But the usual method is to lay a theft charge for the current episode, and upon conviction, ask the court for a order to ban you from that store for a period of years, and if you enter the store again, they will lay charges for the previous events. You need to get it thru your head that this is STEALING and it will get you jail time and a life long criminal record, too.