Erica MacDonald Comments on Serial Shoplifting Case With KSTP-TV

In a news segment for KSTP-TV, business litigation partner Erica MacDonald discussed a Twin Cities serial shoplifter who was released from jail on bail.

MacDonald said she understands the public’s frustration with cases such as this. “As a system, we need to work together better, stronger and smarter to make sure that we’re not letting things like this slip through the cracks,” she noted.

Despite statutory limitations to setting bail in any given case, MacDonald explained that those decisions often hinge on two key factors — the defendant’s flight risk and whether they pose a danger to the community.

“People need to understand that ‘danger to the community’ can also be an economic danger to the community,” MacDonald added. “When you start committing theft, and it starts becoming a six-digit number — according to what the reports are — that’s significant economic harm and has a direct impact on the community.”