College Student Faces Trial for Stealing $2 Pumpkin
Theft charges serious enough to warrant a jury trial typically involve stolen goods that are pretty expensive (just ask Lindsay Lohan about that).
But you don’t have to steal high-dollar stuff to get in that kind of trouble — in fact, a New Mexico college student is about to go on trial for allegedly forgetting to pay for a $2 pumpkin.
Lauren Medina, 23, will have her day in court on Tuesday. She’s accused of stealing the small gourd from a local pumpkin patch in October.
But her sister, Annette Atencio, says the whole thing was a big misunderstanding that’s been completely overblown. On that fateful day last year, the two siblings had enjoyed a day at the pumpkin patch, spending $75 on funnel cakes and other food. When they left, Medina simply forgot to pay for the pumpkin, Atencio says.
When police approached them, Atencio maintains her sister apologized and immediately offered to pony up the cash, but the cops refused and “she was handcuffed immediately — end of story, no ifs or buts.”
After Medina was given an order to appear in court, she thought the charges would be dropped. Instead, prosecutors gave her the option of pleading guilty and doing probation — and when she refused, the case was remanded to trial.
Atencio is infuriated by the debacle, especially because her sister has never been in trouble with the law before. “I’m in disbelief,” she said. “The more I talk about it, the angrier I get.”
[via KOAT]