Criminal Defense
Since 1993
Since 1993
Think You Got Away With It? How Orlando Stores Are Using Video Surveillance to File Old Theft Charges
By: John Guidry II
I want to talk to you about a petit theft nightmare scenario that we defense attorneys have been running into more and more, and it’s a problem created entirely by new technology. This may not apply to everyone, but if you’ve been caught shoplifting at a large retail store, this is critical information.
Let’s start with a common situation. A person goes to a big box store—like Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, or Macy’s—and gets caught stealing. They are either arrested and taken to jail or given a citation to appear in court. They think the incident is over.
But it’s not.
Accused of Petit Theft in Central Florida? What happens next could be worse than the initial arrest. Call my office immediately for a confidential consultation to protect yourself from what these stores might do next. Call John Guidry: (407) 423-1117
The High-Tech Trap: How Stores Are “Rewinding the Tape”
Here is the new reality. The moment you are caught, the store’s loss prevention team takes your information and goes back to their surveillance room. This is what happens next:
- They “Rewind the Tape”: These stores keep high-definition surveillance footage going back six, nine, or even twelve months.
- They Use Facial Recognition: They feed your photo or credit card information into their software to identify every single time you have been in their store over the last year.
- They Meticulously Review Your Past Visits: The software may show you’ve been in the store 14 times. They will watch the footage from every single one of those visits, tracking your every move to see if you paid for every item in your cart on each occasion.
What’s happening is that one single mistake is now leading to a pile-up of more and more criminal charges, filed weeks or even months after the initial incident.
Playing Poker with Your Future: The Danger of Delayed Charges
This situation can quickly wreck a person’s life. These loss prevention departments don’t file all the charges at once. They play their hand slowly, like a game of poker. You might resolve one case, only to be arrested on a new warrant for a different incident two months later. Without a proactive lawyer, you are in a constant state of fear, waiting for the next arrest. It is a terrifying and deeply unfair tactic.
But we defense attorneys get to come in and make it fair.
The Proactive Defense: How We Can Protect You
This nightmare scenario can be fixed, but it requires one thing from you: you must be completely honest with your attorney about your history with that store.
If you’ve had other incidents, we can go on the offensive. We can contact the store’s loss prevention department and the State Attorney’s Office to arrange a “global resolution.” This means we work to resolve all potential claims from all of your past visits at once, in a single case. This prevents the slow torture of multiple, delayed arrests and allows you to move on with your life.
Make sure that even a seemingly simple petit theft case is handled by an experienced attorney who understands these modern loss prevention tactics. I have been defending clients against these allegations in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, Lake, and Brevard counties since 1993. If you’re facing this situation, call my office. Let’s get ahead of the problem before it spirals out of control.
For more information on how one shoplifting can turn into many more charges, check out my YouTube video “The Petit Theft Nightmare.”
About John Guidry II
John Guidry II is a seasoned criminal defense attorney and founder of the Law Firm of John P. Guidry II, P.A., located in downtown Orlando next to the Orange County Courthouse, where he has practiced for over 30 years. With more than three decades of experience defending clients throughout Central Florida since 1993, Guidry has successfully defended thousands of cases in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake, and Volusia counties. He has built a reputation for his strategic approach to criminal defense, focusing on pretrial motions and case dismissals rather than jury trials.
Guidry earned both his Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration from St. Louis University in 1993. He is a member of the Florida Bar and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His practice encompasses the full spectrum of Florida state criminal charges, with a particular emphasis on achieving favorable outcomes through thorough pretrial preparation and motion practice.
Beyond the courtroom, Guidry is a prolific legal educator who has authored over 400 articles on criminal defense topics. He shares his legal expertise through his popular YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, where he has built a substantial following of people eager to learn about the law. His educational content breaks down complex legal concepts into accessible information for the general public.
When not practicing law, Guidry enjoys tennis and pickleball, and loves to travel. Drawing from his background as a former recording studio owner and music video producer in the Orlando area, he brings a creative perspective to his legal practice and continues to apply his passion for video production to his educational content.