{"id":373891,"date":"2016-10-28T10:35:12","date_gmt":"2016-10-28T15:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/maryland-law\/maryland-shoplifting-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-03-23T11:45:51","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T16:45:51","slug":"maryland-shoplifting-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/maryland-law\/maryland-shoplifting-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Shoplifting Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Maryland Shoplifting Laws<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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Shoplifting is a specific type of theft crime<\/a> involving the stealing of merchandise from a business. States treat shoplifting differently, with some treating it as a separate crime, while others, like Maryland, including it under their general theft laws. Maryland law also recognizes the "Shopkeeper’s Privilege,"<\/a> which allows merchants to reasonably detain a shopper where there is probable cause<\/a> to believe that a theft took place.<\/p>\n

Shoplifting in Maryland<\/h2>\n

Under Maryland’s theft statute, it’s a crime to willfully or knowingly obtain unauthorized control over property if the person taking the property:<\/p>\n