Menards Menards kept my money and merchandise accused me of theft I was not arrested until 5 and half months later and two months earlier my fiance was charged with the same theft because he was with me can they keep our money and merchandise and bring charges of theft against us as well. they stolre from us Columbia Missouri
December in Missouri, just before Christmass. My Fiance and I decide to take a trip to Menards in order to take advantage of a special price on security camera and possibly to purchase new doorlocks. He waits a bit after I enter the store in order to finish a phone conversation/argument. He entered the store after I had gone to the restroom and he proceeded to purchase a camera system and paid cash. Before he left the store with the product he wheeled the product to the front of the store and let the Store Manager know he was going to locate me to let me know which items he had purchased. I had then finished in the bathroom and he found me. I was speaking with an associate in the security isle that they had already restocked. This made it appear as though there had been no items removed from the shelf. In-fact I had asked the Associate howmany of these things they stock and he replied, "We never stock more than one at a time of any one type of system". I found this perculiar seeing how there was two identical systems on the shelf at the time. My Fiance let me know which one of these items he paid for. He handed me the receipt, because I always hold the receipts, and let me know he would be waiting outside for me when I finished deciding on other items we may have wanted to purchase. He left I grabbed the system he pointed out, and I finished perusing the store. I went through the same register lane, I had found out later, after showing the receipt to the clerk and stating that I believe we had already paid for the product, and left the store with the authorization of the store Clerk. My Fiance, on the phone again, had not noticed me loading another identical system into his vehicle. Rather he later said that he thought I was loading other stuff we were thinking of purchasing.
About 1/2 to 3/4 of the way back to Jefferson City we had the head slapper realization that we had procured 2 items and needed to give the product back right away. We subsequently arrived at the Jefferson City Menards and he instructed me to bring the system into the store and let them know we just needed to give this back to them. I carried out this order, I did not ask for money, and I even let them know while they were awaiting some type of authorization, that I had more shopping to do, as in purchase new doorlocks. I found the doorlocks was attempting to pay for them when Jefferson City Police showed up and I was then being questioned about a theft I was not intending to commit. My Fiance was at the time being surrounded by roughly 5 squads and being questioned just the same. Our stories matched, because it was the truth, and they let us know that we were not going to jail tonight. Because Menards wasn't pressing charges unless we attempt to get the product they were keeping, the money we had spent on the product (a little shy of $400), or I stepped foot on Menards property violating the trespassing agreement they just had me sign. This was infact the truth we had later found via phone conversation with the manager involved. He stated to us "I will not press charges unless you try to get money or the system. If you do try to do either I will call the police and you will endure Due Process". "In fact I will drive to the Jefferson City Store myself and get your product for you and bring it back here to you personally if you were to come here and attempt it".
We stayed true to this agreement, never entered Menards, and 3 months later my Fiance was hit with a warrant for class A Mistameanor Theft. I was later(two months later) slapped with a Class D Felony Stealing related offense. We called the store to find out what had gone wrong and some other Store Manager we had not spoken with before stated he did not believe that agreement was ever made. He also stated that he was not there but had he been he would make sure to get to the police station immidiatly and turn myself in because if it was his Mother, Sister, or Brother he would make sure they were taken care of right away. We found this advice calice and confusing. They have our money and our product. Jefferson City Police has the other system.
We are both facing charges we were promissed we wouldn't be pending we took a $400 hit for something we did not intentionally do. Now I understand it is up to our "Due Process" we are to be facing in order to determine whether or not we were to deprive Menards of thier product that we had left with with their permission. And I know it is up to our great state of Missouri to see whether or not we had done so using no form of subterfuge and attempt to conceal. This was not premeditated and obviously if it were we would not be trying to hand the product back to them that very night. Is it legal to intentionally deprive us of our money, product, and freedom. Completely break the verbal contract made in front of 10 police officers, which I'm sure none will remember why it was they didn't take us to jail that night. If we had done such a wronging to our great State....why did it take over 5 months for them to think about how many times they counted the cash or even re-sold they product we had already purchased? Why did it take 5 moths to charge me and why did they charge my fiance at all?