A. Prohibited:
1. Concealing Or Taking Possession Of Merchandise: A person who wilfully conceals or takes possession of property offered for sale by a wholesale or retail store without the knowledge or consent of the owner and with intent to convert the property to his own use without paying the purchase price is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or both, if the value of the property is less than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
2. Altering Or Removing Price Tag Or Marker: A person who alters, defaces, changes or removes a price tag or marker on or about property offered for sale by a wholesale or retail store with intent to obtain the property at less than the marked or listed price is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or both, if the difference between the marked or listed price and the amount actually paid is less than five hundred dollars ($500.00). (2005 Code)
B. Power To Detain And Interrogate: Any police officer, merchant or merchant's employee who has reasonable cause for believing that a person has committed the crime of "shoplifting", as defined by subsection A of this section, may detain and interrogate such person in regard thereto in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable time.
C. Defense To Action: When a police officer, merchant or merchant's employee, with reasonable cause for believing that a person has committed the crime of "shoplifting", as defined by subsection A of this section, detains and interrogates such person in regard thereto, and such person thereafter brings against the police officer, merchant or merchant's employee a civil or criminal action for slander, false arrest, false imprisonment, assault, battery or wrongful detention based upon the detention and interrogation, such reasonable cause shall be a defense to the action if the detention and interrogation was done in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable time. (1987 Code § 10-29)