u/Honest_Classroom_216

Hey everyone. My cousin got caught shoplifting at a target she said she goes to quite a bit. She basically paid for some items and left $165 worth of merchandise in the cart and when she tried to walk out of the store they got her and took her to the back.
They told her that they had her on camera for 3 separate incidents doing the same thing. They took pics of the merchandise and her, gave her a trespass notice from that specific location and called the police. The police showed up and got a detailed report from that day only however they mentioned she’d done this before but gave no details about prior incidents. She got taken to the police station and got fingerprinted??? They gave her a citation for misdemeanor shoplifting with a court date and let her go from there.
She’s so beyond paranoid. She’s a single mom who works full time and can’t afford to lose her job or go to jail and has no one to fall back on. I’ve never seen her like this though. She told me she hasn’t even really eaten in days. We’re going back and forth about whether or not she should attempt to hire a lawyer or go with a public defender. She has no prior history. This is her first ever interference with the law but she told me she’s stolen from other targets also.
So question for anyone who has ACTUALLY been in this situation or seen how it plays out what should she expect ? Please no negative comments. We need help with actual facts. She’s losing it and I fear for her… her biggest concern is escalation and her record.
Location: California