Please Donate Toward The Purchase And Keep FR Up And Running!
Posted on 02/19/2012 6:43:02 PM PST by rawhide
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A 23-year-old college student from New Mexico is scheduled to go to trial for allegedly stealing a small pumpkin worth two dollars.
KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, N.M., reports that Lauren Medina will go before a jury and Moriarity Magistrate Judge Steve Jones on Tuesday. She is accused of taking the pumpkin in October 2011 from McCall's Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty.
Her sister, Annette Atencio, says Medina spent $75 on food that day but forgot to pay for the pumpkin she picked up as she was leaving. Atencio says her sister offered to pay but was refused and then handcuffed.
Atencio says she's in disbelief that the theft charge against her sister was not dropped.
She says her sister could have pleaded guilty and be given probation, but refused
As usual.... There is likely more to the story than is being reported.
I tend to agree. Could be a whole lot more to this story.
I suppose ignorantly shoplifting a pumpkin is possible, especially if it was mixed in with other items that one did purchase, but pumpkins aren’t exactly something one carries on his person daily.
I am thinking there has to be more to this story also. But here is the story from the local news station in Albuquerque, NM:
“Atencio (her sister) said the charges stem from October 2011, when her sister went to McCall’s Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty and forgot to pay for a small pumpkin.
Medina spent $75 that day on funnel cakes and other food, and then, Atencio said; her sister went on some hay rides in the back.
But, when Medina was leaving the property, Atencio said her sister picked up a small pumpkin and police approached her.
“(Medina) said, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Can I pay for them?’ (They said), ‘Nope,’ and she was handcuffed immediately — end of story, no ifs or buts,” Atencio said.
Medina was given an order to appear, and when she did, Atencio said her sister thought the charges would be dropped — but that didn’t happen.
Atencio said that Medina was given the option to plead guilty and do probation, and when she refused, the case will now head to a jury trial.”
Woman Accused Of Stealing $2 Pumpkin Faces Trial
Sister: Lauren Medina Forgot To Pay For Small Pumpkin At Moriarty Patch
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — According to court employees, a woman accused of stealing a $2 pumpkin will face a jury trial Tuesday.
Annette Atencio said she can’t believe her 23-year-old sister, Lauren Medina, will actually have to go to trial over a pumpkin.
“I’m in disbelief — the more I talk about it, the angrier I get,” Atencio said.
Atencio said the charges stem from October 2011, when her sister went to McCall’s Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty and forgot to pay for a small pumpkin.
Medina spent $75 that day on funnel cakes and other food, and then, Atencio said; her sister went on some hay rides in the back.
But, when Medina was leaving the property, Atencio said her sister picked up a small pumpkin and police approached her.
“(Medina) said, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Can I pay for them?’ (They said), ‘Nope,’ and she was handcuffed immediately — end of story, no ifs or buts,” Atencio said.
Medina was given an order to appear, and when she did, Atencio said her sister thought the charges would be dropped — but that didn’t happen.
Atencio said that Medina was given the option to plead guilty and do probation, and when she refused, the case will now head to a jury trial.
“(Medina) is a college student, and she’s never been in trouble and never been arrested,” Atencio said.
Moriarity Magistrate Judge Steve Jones is hearing the case, and a court employee said that just like every other case, the pumpkin theft case has to go through the court process.
Good thing she stopped ~ these people probably would have had her shot.
No doubt we need some more information ~ like was this pumpkin hooked to a vine, was it just there in the parking lot, was it on a table, was it under any sort of supervision, was there a sign saying NO PICK PUMP or something typical of that part of the world, or was it just sitting there being watched intently by a cop hidden behind a bush or something?
There are so many possibilities it boggles the mind. So, I looked up the satellite view to see what I could see. First off, there's a parking lot area. You walk from the lot across a narrow strip of red dirt to large buildings and walk around. Off to the West there are these big bins where they float plastic duckeys or pumpkins. Then there's an area where they shoot pumpkin cannons.
This is NOT a roadside pumpkin market ~ they use them as decor, target practice, shooting, tossing, breaking, jumping on, rolling ~ or what have you.
A cop was watching to see that nobody took any of the pumpkins on their way to the parking lot.
Some of the event pictures at their site look like people can get covered with pumpkin parts.
Looks like a setup to me ~ cop wanted a date or something ~ blew up in his face. Now there's a court trial.
Your tax dollars at work.
You walk into a pumpkin patch and “forget” to pay for the pumpkin?
They should be arrested just for being liars, or stupid. I am not advocating jail time, but this type of crap needs to stop. And they will say, “but we spent $75, what’s the big deal about a $2.00 pumpkin?
The average profit margin for a grocery store is about 5.5%. So the profit on her purchases would have been about $3.50. And they stole $2.00, or about 40% of the profit from them.
When you think of it thoses terms, I get even more pissed off.
Good thing she stopped ~ these people probably would have had her shot.
No doubt we need some more information ~ like was this pumpkin hooked to a vine, was it just there in the parking lot, was it on a table, was it under any sort of supervision, was there a sign saying NO PICK PUMP or something typical of that part of the world, or was it just sitting there being watched intently by a cop hidden behind a bush or something?
There are so many possibilities it boggles the mind. So, I looked up the satellite view to see what I could see. First off, there's a parking lot area. You walk from the lot across a narrow strip of red dirt to large buildings and walk around. Off to the West there are these big bins where they float plastic duckeys or pumpkins. Then there's an area where they shoot pumpkin cannons.
This is NOT a roadside pumpkin market ~ they use them as decor, target practice, shooting, tossing, breaking, jumping on, rolling ~ or what have you.
A cop was watching to see that nobody took any of the pumpkins on their way to the parking lot.
Some of the event pictures at their site look like people can get covered with pumpkin parts.
Looks like a setup to me ~ cop wanted a date or something ~ blew up in his face. Now there's a court trial.
Your tax dollars at work.
And if this is the Lauren Medina they are talking about she is VERY VERY VERY NOT GUILTY ~ and so is that other girl with her: http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv351/HaiLauren14/bugg.jpg
If a republican was in the Whitehouse, you better believe the eneMedia would try to blame it on the president.
It’s not really a pumpkin patch nor is it a grocery store. Go take a look at the website.
I’m with you on this one.
$2 pumpkin = serious business.
In fact I just heard about on the top-of-the-hour ABC news blurb.
May justice be done.
And asset forfeiture, don’t forget that! She must lose everything she owns!
Mark
WTF
I have reviewed the evidence
YOUR RULING IS AFFIRMED! CASE DISMISSED.
Once I was at the Base Exchange, getting some clothes and wandered around a bit and then started to leave, forgetting the pants I held in my hands. I got several steps out of the store before realizing what I was doing and hurriedly hopped back into the store, and up to the cash register to pay.
It could have been a mistake.
Sometimes you have an open and shut case and are still wrong.
Once maybe 35 years ago, my parents and I were in a mall shopping. We had just left a drug store when my father looked at his hands and realized he had a bottle of hay fever medicine in his hand. He turned around and went back and paid for it. Neither Mother or I had even noticed.
Knowing Daddy I was not surprised at all. He was very forgetful. He was also a man of extreme integrity and honesty. Still he was technically guilty of leaving the store without paying if they had noticed before he went back and paid.
Interesting. We posted nearly identical stories in the exact same second.
I pushed the button again and told the voice on the other end that the young lady had forgotten to take my money. She came back and I told her that she forgot. She looked at me as if I'd grown another head and said "Are you sure?" I think she had a hard time believing someone didn't just take the "free food."
My sister once went to Wal-Mart with her young grandson sitting in the cart. One of her purchases was a case of bottled water. When she checked out she mentioned to the clerk that the case was under the cart but in the busyness of checking out both she and the clerk forgot about it. When she got home she realized that the clerk had not rung the water up. She paid for it the next time she went back to the Wal-Mart.
I don't know if what happened at the Pumpkin Patch was a mistake or theft, but mistakes do happen.
They have officers just standing by at McCall’s Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty? Lots of problems there with the New Mexico Pumpkin Cartels?
Where do you shop!? I want to go there!
Grocery stores shoot for anywhere between 30-60% - depending on the product.
Any more it is less. Grocery stores were trying to hold down their prices even though it cut into profit margins so as not to lose customers. They believed that the down turn would be short lived. They were wrong which is why prices at the retail level are starting to go up.
You can only run a store at minimum profit for so long.
Any more it is less. Grocery stores were trying to hold down their prices even though it cut into profit margins so as not to lose customers. They believed that the down turn would be short lived. They were wrong which is why prices at the retail level are starting to go up.
You can only run a store at minimum profit for so long.
She picked up “A” pumpkin but when she was caught walking off with it she says OMG can I pay for “THEM”?
Sounds like she had more than just “A” pumpkin.
That's what I said! She might have stolen some million $ jewelry from the store as well!
We need Paul Harvey and “the rest of the story”.
>> We need Paul Harvey and “the rest of the story”.
>> [And now, here’s the rest of the story]
Paul Harvey. The good ol’ days.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2848231/posts?page=9#4
I would go with your explanation had she not said, “Oh my sorry I...can I pay for it now?” That sends a big read flag called, “guilty”. I love the fact that you cared enough to go on Google Earth. That is dedication to a story for sure.
I was at the Navy Exchange one time back in the stone ages when we actually used checks. lol. Well anyway, the lady gave me the total and I wrote out the check. She handed me the receipt and under it was the check. I went through the receipt and noticed the check. I went back to her and I told her that I got the check back, and she looked at me like I was the dumbest person on Earth. I practically had to force her to take the check. She was rude and crude and she is the one who made the error. This was well before the time where they scanned the check and gave it back to you. I thought dang man I am doing the right thing here. I think I was really just pissed off cuz she didn’t bend down and honor me for doing the right thing. lol.
Oh good God. If that is the case than we are in for some heavy duty price hikes. I mean milk is about 4 dollars a gallon. The price of meats are through the roof. I go into Giant or Safeway and come out with a few bags and the dang price is 100 dollars and I don't eat extravagant at all. If you are right, I am scared. lol.
Sounds like you have the same problem that DemocRat politician who ‘accidently’ walked out of Neiman Marcus with $2500 worth of clothes. Do you have a brain tumor too? /s
The sad thing about this is that the pumpkin farm likely had hundreds left over lying in the field after halloween that just rotted there.
There was a small farm I passed on the day before this last halloween that had a sign by the road saying "free pumpkins, take all you can carry".....LOL!
Lauren and her friend each already have a couple pumpkins.
I find this article really had to believe. I used to live in New Mexico, and my wife worked at a large grocery chain store. The theft there was unbelievable. Basically, if you got merchandise to the front door, it was yours. The store policy was not to peruse you, no matter what you took. In fact, if they caught you before you got the door, say with $100 worth of steaks and booze stuffed down your pants, they still would not do anything than to ask you to put it back, not even pay for it, and never press charges.
The illegals knew this policy, and especially liked using the self check out line. We used to jokingly refer to the self check out line to as the “free food line”....
Nope, no brain tumor. No excuse, just not thinking, but thank God I realized what I was doing before anyone arrested me! ack!
That is funny. :D
Absolutely absurd! This woman “accidentally” takes a $2 pumpkin, offers to pay for it and is then arrested and sent to trial by the same people (Government) that has been stealing from the very people they arrest. Insanity!
Could someone let me know what is the maximum amount of an item that it is ok to steal? According to most on this thread, $2 is ok to steal without punishment. Do I hear $5? $10?
She offered to pay ~ not just put it down back in the driveway or wherever she picked it up from.
Another answer is "I didn't notice the sign" or "There's no price tag here" or "Oh my God" and then start running screaming to the lady's room ~ dare the cops to come in and get you.
Thieves say "Here man, if you want it it's yours" as they toss it over to you.
It's all quite rational up to the point where the local cop arrests her
For a while, in my addiction, I shoplifted sometimes. When caught, I would say those words.
Now that I am clean and sober, I forgot to pay for something in my hand, and someone stopped me. I said those words. I paid for the item and left.
It's not a red flag. Guilty or innocent say them.
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Used to listen to Mr Harvey often. He gave one of his “shout-outs” to my great-grandparents on their 76th wedding anniversary.
Overwhelm the system, take it as far as it can go, use up government resources and encourage law enforcement, prosecutors and courts to find something else more productive to do.
There are hundreds of millions of pumpkins left in the field to rot every year that are plowed back in and become fertilizer.
This is a story of an overzealous cop meeting a resistant citizen. Fine.
If I own something, and I want to leave it in the field to rot, that doesn’t give license to someone else to take it without permission or payment. I don’t know what the true facts are in this woman’s case, but if she knowingly took anything from another without paying, irrespective of amount, she should be held responsible. This is the essence of owning property, that one cannot be compelled to give it away (except of course to a confiscatory government) sell it at a price not agreed to.
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