Honestly, I don’t think this is about pop tarts, implied unfit mothering, inadequate nutrition, etc-I think it is just an illustration of that woman’s stupidity. All kids have lifted some special food from a parent’s stash-it is a kid thing-I did it, too. And pop tarts aren’t exactly healthy food-look at the nutritional info on those things...
The idea that kids aren’t supposed to take other people’s stuff is supposed to be taught to kids by parents-not cops. I hope the dumbass mom was fined to hell and back for her misuse of emergency and law enforcement resources. If she is too (ahem) fainéant to cope with her kid being a kid, that is her problem...
Now I could understand if it had been toaster strudel, but pop tarts? ;^)