In California the crime of theft is broken down into many subcategories.  Among the most common are those of petty theft and grand theft.  The pubic offense of petty theft is statutorily defined in the codes under Penal Code section 484.  The heart and soul of the crime is that the accused acquired property or merchandise belonging to another valued at less than $400 without paying and with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of his or her property.  Although millions of people are arrested every year for petty theft, a scant few realize that by hiring an attorney you actually can, in many instances, will keep the arrest from becoming a conviction and destroying the record of the accused, according to one Torrance Petty Theft Attorney  In most cases, a suspect that is held by store security for petty theft will be brought to the los prevention office, questioned and arrested then turned over to the police or simply given a citation with a date to appear in Court at a later date.  The offense carries a potential punishment of up to 6 months in jail if convcited.