Stealing & Theft Defense

Stealing might be the most underestimated charge in Missouri. People treat a shoplifting case like a traffic ticket — then discover that a theft conviction is a crime of dishonesty that employers, landlords, and licensing boards treat as a permanent red flag.

Value Drives the Charge

Under RSMo § 570.030, stealing under $750 is generally a misdemeanor, $750 and over becomes a felony, and $25,000+ or certain property types (firearms, vehicles, controlled substances) escalate further. The State's valuation is an allegation, not a fact — and Mike makes them prove it.

How These Cases Get Won

• Intent. Stealing requires intent to deprive. Misunderstandings, disputed ownership, and honest mistakes are defenses.
• Identification. Grainy loss-prevention video and cross-racial identifications are fertile ground for reasonable doubt.
• Restitution-driven resolutions. When trial isn't the right play, Mike negotiates outcomes that keep convictions off your record — diversion, suspended impositions, and amended charges.

First-Time Offenders, Listen Carefully

If this is your first brush with the system, you likely have options that disappear the moment you plead guilty without counsel. Talk to Mike first. One conversation can save your record.

Key Missouri Law

Charged? Here's Your Next Move.

Do not give a statement. Do not consent to a search. Do not plead at your first appearance just to make it stop. Call or text 636.940.7771 — any hour, any day — or send the free case evaluation form and we'll get back to you fast.