Originally Posted by
chasbondy
>>>The word "sell," semantically speaking, includes both the offer and the final transfer.>>> I guess that means I could go into Ruth Chris's, have a big steak dinner, all the fixings and a bottle of wine, and when the huge bill comes, I say to myself, "I dont want to pay for this", and get arrested for shop lifting before they return my credit card.
Yes, you could. But only if they could prove to a jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that you had made that decision. So, absent mindreading, they wouldn't charge you. But what if you left your table and went to the restroom before you paid? Would the jury think that was enough? Hopefully not. But what if they found you in the restroom, with 1/2 of your body out in the alley, through a window that you had broken with a chair? They just might charge you, because they might think they could show your "intent." They will never actually be able to prove what you were thinking. But the circumstancial evidence could result in a conviction.