Help

I was arrested for petty theft ($70) at walmart. The walmart security
followed me and saw each item that I put into my purse. They handcuffed me
and took me into a room. They proceeded to remove their property from my
purse. They then proceeded to continue searching through my purse, through
all the small pockets, and through my wallet, receipts, etc. While doing
that, they found paraphernalia and a small amount of controlled substance.
Needless to say, I went to jail and am currently out on bail, have enrolled
in outpatient drug treatment and parenting class. I reveiwed the penal code
490.5 and I don\'t believe walmart had the right to search through my purse.
Especially since I was not refusing to surrender their property. Please
advise.

You could have refused. They then could have called the police to search you if some reasonable basis existed.