Can you say colossal waste of taxpayer money??? How about giving her the opportunity to pay the $2 and save tens of thousands of dollars for a trial.


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - 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.

She should have been givin a chance to pay for it.

Ya know the DA can easily drop this charge,why waste thousands of tax payers money over a $2 pumpkin.Make her pay $10 fine.

Nope, once they leave the store with the merchandise it's done. I see this every day and the buy one get one free attitude of people is what is killing stores shrink numbers. You donb't know how many people justify taking a couple items because they are paying for others. It's not right at all.

Theft is theft, no matter if you paid for other items.

Honestly I have seen a felony on an ice cream bar ($1.29) that I called the police over. I think all shoplifters should face the courts so they learn their lesson. I guarantee this isn't the first time she did this but it will probably be the last.

ALso for her to goto jail over that, there has to be something else going on. She had to have something outstanding in her background, convicted of prior thefts, have FTA's or a warrant. Otherwise they would have just giving her a citation, basically like a traffic ticket.

This article is really one sided.

I have mixed feelings about this. It does seem absurd to prosecute on the one hand. On the other hand, Lp is right. Retail theft is a multi-million dollar business and it's costing us all a lot of money.

My problem with this story is that I have accidentally walked out of a store with something I handed to my baby to keep him distracted while I shopped. I intended to buy the item and just forgot. I did go back in and pay for the item later, but if busted outside the door of the store it would have been theft. But, that is for the judge/jury to decide if she INTENDED to commit the theft or if it was just an accident.

The store owner is the victim and someone from the store and the staff who detained her will have spend most of the day in court in order to prosecute this case. I'm wondering why it's worth it to the business owner to pay his employees to do that. Perhaps Lp is right and there is more to this story than what's being reported.

Honestly, it is easy at least for me to tell the difference between someone who just forgets to pay for an item and someone who delibrately does a buy one get one free.

Honestly I more then likely wouldn't have even called the cops if they had identification and didn't fight, or I hadn't caught them before but that is just my general rule of thumb. I don't like to bug the cops on super petty crap like this. If I did they would be out ten times a day. Normally you can just get their information for a tresspass and so the company can go after them for restitution(which in most states companies can and do) and kick them loose.

Honestly, I never even use my handcuffs unless the person fights and that is very rare if you handle the situation right and not try to be some damn wanna be cop.

There has to be more to this story, especially for the police to take the person in handcuffs.

Lp, I completely agree.

I doubt it will happen again.

I may think I know a lot about other subjects, but I do know LP since i've been doing it for over 14 years now, and I tend to think I am pretty damn good at it.

I have no doubt that you are.

The only thing i have to say about it and i know some people intentionally steal. Some people don't, though, accidents do happen.....i have gone back to the store and paid for a 12 pack of soda that the clerk didn't ring. I point it out every time, though. They should get it, but I check my receipt now too.

Like I said though, you can normally tell who just forgot they paid for something to someone who is intentionally trying to rip the store off.

I disagree! While she broke the law the $2 pumpkin is not worth the cost of this trial. When she got caught the store manager should have confiscated it or made her pay the $2. If the store wants to press this then the store should pay for it being that it is only $2, you can't throw the book at this person because others may have done this as well. The citizens of New Mexico should be raising hell over this. Again I ask, can we give New Mexico back to Spain?

I lived in Albuquerque for 3 years.. Great town.. Golf during the day ski Taos at night.. Great place..

What I would like to know is how many stores in this country have something stolen, returned and the person prosecuted and writ it off at the end of the year anyway?

Do you know the details? Did she hit or threaten the person stopping her? Does she have a history of theft related offences? Is she a suspect in another case? Have they caught her stealing at the store before or do they have her on video stealing in the past?

You realize the trial will be probably about 20 minutes in front of of judge, not a jury. It isn't that much of an expense and if she is foound guilty she will have to pay the fines and fee's which more then covers the cost of the trail and courts work.

Also it depends on who she was stopped by. If it was the manager or Loss Prevention. No matter what company you work for, if your in Loss Prevention once you stop the person for theft you cant just bring them in and let them pay for the merchandise because at that point the crimes been committed and if you allow them to pay for it the store can't go after them for restitution.

Most stores have the same policy for managers.

Yep, that's exactly what it will be. And, if it is a fivolous case, the judge will be annoyed. Which leads me to believe there is more to the story.