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Burglary, Retail Theft & Conversion

Don’t Let Theft or Burglary Charges Steal Your Future

We represent clients in Merrillville, Gary and throughout Lake County and Porter County, IN

A small misunderstanding or misinterpretation of your actions and intentions could make an enormous difference in the type of theft or burglary police say you committed. That’s why it’s important to get the facts right. And getting the facts right means having a theft attorney who knows what’s important and can tell your side of the story.

For more than a decade, at the Law Office of Weiss, Schmidgall and Hires, P.C., we’ve been making sure our clients in Merrillville and throughout Indiana are treated fairly.

Knowledgeable defense against theft and burglary charges

Our Merrillville criminal law attorneys have extensive experience defending clients from a wide range of theft related charges.

Shoplifting (conversion) and retail theft

In Indiana, shoplifting is generally treated as criminal conversion. It’s a class A misdemeanor that can get elevated to retail theft, a class D felony, depending on the value of the property. In both cases the charges carry heavy penalties for what might have just been a misunderstanding or a moment of forgetfulness. We make sure you get treated fairly. You may have made a mistake, but you don’t deserve a heavy criminal penalty.

Juvenile theft charges

Juvenile theft charges can be serious and affect a young person’s entire life. It may have been a mistake. A big one even, but punishing a young person isn’t the best way to handle it. We’ve been helping Merrillville kids grow up without unfair penalties hanging over their heads. Our attorneys have counseled many teens through serious and difficult theft and burglary cases. We know they deserve a second chance and we try to make sure they get it by defending them and keeping their criminal records clean.

Theft from an employer

Sometimes people have misunderstandings about what property they can use for work, but are required to return, and what property they’re allowed to keep. A simple mistake can put you at risk of a criminal record. Our Merrillville attorneys know how to protect you from unfair theft charges.

Home burglary

Home burglary is a serious crime with severe penalties. Burglary cases are classified numerically (Level 5 Felony. Level 4 if it is a building, Level 3 if it results in injury to a person, Level 2 if committed with a deadly weapon or results in serious bodily injury, Level 1 if it is a home AND results in serious bodily injury to a person). Our criminal defense lawyers have helped clients in Merrillville and Gary fight off unfair burglary charges for more than a decade. We know what it takes to get you the best result.

Call us in Lake County for a free consultation about your theft or burglary charges

At the Law Office of Weiss, Schmidgall and Hires, P.C., we believe that everyone is entitled to an effective defense. We fight for what’s best for you. If you have a cash bond, we try to help you use it to pay for your defense. The first time we sit and talk is absolutely free, so call 219-293-8988 or contact us online.

Victoria Bain Attorney Photo
Victoria Bain
Associate

About Victoria Bain joined Weiss, Schmidgall & Hires as an associate attorney in 2023. She is a graduate of The University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. Victoria received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Valparaiso University. During her time in college, she taught classes to incarcerated men at the Westville Correctional Facility,…

Christopher R. Schmidgall Attorney Photo
Christopher R. Schmidgall
Member

For more than ten years, Christopher Schmidgall has protected the lives of people who find themselves caught in the tangled machinery of criminal prosecution. With the skill and determination he’s demonstrated throughout his life, Chris offers them the help they need to get their lives back in order. Not long after graduating from Valparaiso...

Amanda C. Hires Attorney Photo
Amanda C. Hires
Member

Following a remarkably accomplished academic career, Amanda Hires applied her record of success to servicing good people facing difficult situations. She served as a volunteer at the New Orleans Public Defender’s Office and worked intensively with prosecutors and defense attorneys while under the guidance of Judge Sheila Moss at the Lake County Superior Court...

Jessica McPheeters Attorney Photo
Jessica McPheeters
Partner

Jessica McPheeters is an associate attorney with her primary focus being in Estate Planning, Probate, Business Formation and Planning, and other general practice matters. Jessica received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics from Ball State University in 2014. Jessica then received her Juris Doctor from Valparaiso University School of Law...

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