Question

directions: read the following story. as you read, try to identify the crimes that characters committed in each story because at the end you are to write the answers at the bottom of the page.
kathy and linda went to the mall on saturday to do some shopping. while they were in a department store kathy told linda that she was going to take a pair of earrings. linda told her not to, but kathy said she had done it before and had not gotten caught. linda said she wouldnt steal, but she would watch out to see if anyone was watching.
as they were leaving the store, a security officer stopped them and escorted them to an office. he told them that he witnessed them taking the earrings and he was going to arrest them. kathy became frightened because she had lied to linda; she had gotten caught for stealing in this store before and was not arrested, but was warned never to return to the store again. this security guard did not recognize her so she decided to give a fake name and phone number so he could not call her parents.
what crimes did kathy commit?
1.

2.

3.

what crime did linda commit?
1.

Explanation:

For Kathy:

1. Shoplifting: She took a pair of earrings from the department store without paying, which is the act of shoplifting (theft of merchandise from a retail establishment).
2. Giving false information: When the security officer was going to arrest her, she provided a fake name and phone number, which is a crime of providing false identification/information to law enforcement or a person in authority.
3. Trespassing (if we consider the prior warning): She had been warned never to return to the store, and she came back and stole again, so violating the trespass warning (though the main theft here is the new shoplifting, and the false info is another; also, some might consider the initial theft and the false info and maybe the trespass, but the key ones are shoplifting, false info, and maybe the prior theft was a separate incident, but in this story's current incident, shoplifting, false identification/info, and if the prior warning counts, trespassing. But the main ones here are shoplifting, giving false information, and perhaps aiding? No, Kathy was the one stealing. Wait, in this story, Kathy stole (shoplifting), gave fake name/number (false information to a peace officer or authority), and maybe, if the store had a no - trespass order from before, trespassing. But the core ones are shoplifting, false information, and maybe the previous theft was a separate incident, but in this current story, the crimes are shoplifting (taking the earrings), giving false information (fake name/number), and perhaps, if we consider the prior warning, trespassing (but the story says she was warned never to return, and she did return and steal, so trespassing by violating the warning).

For Linda: She agreed to watch out for Kathy while Kathy stole, which is aiding and abetting a theft (accessory to shoplifting). She helped Kathy by acting as a lookout, which is a form of assisting in the commission of the theft.

Answer:

s:

What crimes did Kathy commit?

1. Shoplifting (theft of earrings from the department store)
2. Giving false information (providing a fake name and phone number to the security officer)
3. Trespassing (violating the store's warning to never return and then stealing again, though the primary new crime here is shoplifting and false info; the trespass is related to the prior warning)

What crime did Linda commit?

1. Aiding and abetting (acting as a lookout to assist Kathy in shoplifting)