Legal Question in Criminal Law in North Carolina

I kicked my 20 year old son out of the house, on Feb 3, 2016, after he was arrested for embezzlement. He is out on bond pending his court hearing later this month. Left behind at my place are the merchandise he purchased and the cash receipts totaling over $2K for those purchases. Note, he just started work and hadn't received his first paycheck.

Can I return the merchandise to the store and give the cash from the refund to my son's former employer?


Asked on 2/14/16, 3:35 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

You can but it would likely be a jerk thing to do. Of course, since you have already kicked him out and he has already been arrested, most likely all the damage that can be done has already been done by either you and /or him running your mouths to law enforcement when you shouldn't. Anywho, even though you are the parent, this is not the same thing as dragging your kid by the ear to return the pack of gum he stole from the grocery store. Returning the merchandise / money without a proper accounting is risky both to his case and proper credit for restitution (if applicable). At 20, this is his mess to clean up. On the other hand, you don't want to be in possession of stolen goods or aiding and abetting. Likely, the best thing to do is tell your son to come get the items ASAP and encourage him to choose to do the right thing or you can rat him out and possibly do further damage to his case.

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Answered on 2/14/16, 8:34 am


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