Alabama Property and Casualty Practice Exam

A thief finds the door to an appliance store has been left unlocked and takes several big screen TVs. The thief has committed?

1. Burglary

2. Robbery

3. Theft

4. Vandalism

The correct answer is: Theft

The situation describes a thief entering an appliance store and taking items without any confrontation or force against a person. This aligns with the definition of theft, which involves the unlawful taking of someone else's property with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it. The key elements of this act include the lack of permission from the property owner and the intention to keep the stolen property, which firmly categorize the action as theft. In contrast, burglary would typically involve entering a structure unlawfully with the intent to commit a crime inside, but in this case, while it might seem applicable, the focus is more on the act of taking the property. Robbery involves taking property from a person or in their presence through force or intimidation, which does not apply here since the thief did not interact with anyone. Vandalism refers to the willful destruction of property, which also does not describe the action of stealing property. Therefore, theft is the most accurate term for this scenario.