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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
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.
It’s so true, you can be distracted. The gal is quite attractive. The cop was probably hittting on her.
I was once in a model house that had been staged with interesting furniture and accessories. I picked up a book and glanced at it. The realtor walked into the room and I totally forgot to put the book down. As I was leaving I realized I had the book in my hand. I was mortified. In retrospect they probably had cameras and thought I was a shop-lifter.
In the stores I have a good knowledge about they need a 9% mark up over wholesale just to break even. Sadly the shelves don't stock themselves. :)
I had a similar experience at Bank of America. I cashed $100 check at the drive through window. The next day when I took the money out of the envelope I saw she had given me four twenties and one fifty dollar bill - $30 too much.
I went back to the same window to return the $30 dollars. The teller’s response: “Damn, now my drawer will be off again!”
And Bank of America wonders why they are unpopular.
I went back to the same window to return the $30 dollars. The teller’s response: “Damn, now my drawer will be off again!”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Isn’t that the same as “Why thank you very much for your time and effort to help correct my mistake”? s/
I have gotten to the point where I don’t even mention if given to much change. Not being a ‘thief’ about it but get tired of attempting to return money to a s/a cashier who says “I don’t make mistakes” or when explaining the situation to a person who uses **American English as a 3rd language and they look at you and act like you are saying you were short changed...
** Ref J. Biden and employees.
>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?
I don’t think that’s what people are saying; I think it has to do with the “is it OK if I pay for this?”/”Nope, you’re going to jail!” interaction.
(And, as some have pointed out, sometimes you do forget about things.)
There’s absolutely nothing in this story about price tags or signs .
There’s absolutely nothing in this story about price tags or signs .
The problem was that the law enforcement officers present would not accept that as a satisfactory solution.
In their conditioned pea-brains, these matters have to be adjudicated.
So be it. She is pursuing adjudication. So is the State.
Let the chips fall where they may
No price tag means you can just take it?
The pictures show pumpkins and pumpkin parts all over the place. I went through their entire library of kids having fun and didn't see one price tag!
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