[starman]

A friend of mine works by going around to different stores, reorganizing products on the shelves to make sure they're visible, etc. She has a bag that she keeps her wallet in UNDER everything (papers, etc.). I'm not going to go into the 7 paragraphs of details, but essentially, while she wasn't paying attention, this old woman rummaged through the bag and took her wallet out, and walked out of the store with it.

My friend saw the woman outside the store TAKING THE MONEY OUT OF THE WALLET. She flagged the woman down and confronted her.

This is where things get interesting. The woman kept changing her story over and over. She 'found it' (at the bottom of a work bag???), she thought it was for sale, she was trying to find who it belonged to, she couldn't find customer service.

Such BS.

So my friend called the cops who tried persuading my friend to NOT press charges, but she did anyway. Now, think about it - you've got this old woman who has obviously been doing this before, pulling an Uncle Leo by claiming she's old, etc. Just because you're old doesn't mean you're above the law.

So what would you do?

[Eug]

It depends, but I would likely press charges.

---

P.S. This, in a sort of tangential way, reminds me of a case here in Canada a few years back. An immigrant from mainland China was convicted of stabbing his wife. The judge was lenient in the sentence, saying it was necessary to consider the different cultural circumstances. The entire Chinese community rightfully called the judge an idiot, and said regardless of the "cultural circumstances" the man should have been prosecuted just like any other person in Canada.

Just because you're <insert whatever here> doesn't mean you should be able to get away with criminal activity.

[Paco500]

I don't think it would be worth the hassle. If I got my wallet back, I wouldn't bother.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by starman 

pulling an Uncle Leo

I chuckled.

[wallinbl]

The woman needs help and the law isn't a good place to get her the help she needs. Get her to agree to get some real help and drop the charges if she does. There are organizations that deal with trying to help people get along without stealing or selling drugs.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

The woman needs help and the law isn't a good place to get her the help she needs. Get her to agree to get some real help and drop the charges if she does. There are organizations that deal with trying to help people get along without stealing or selling drugs.

That's a reasonable compromise. However, much of the time that help won't happen if you just let the person go.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Eug 

P.S. This, in a sort of tangential way, reminds me of a case here in Canada a few years back. An immigrant from mainland China was convicted of stabbing his wife. The judge was lenient in the sentence, saying it was necessary to consider the different cultural circumstances.

That’s ridiculous. What cultural differences? Stabbing your wife is just as illegal in China as it is in Canada. In fact, if the judge had wanted to take ‘cultural differences’ into consideration, he should have sentenced the man to death, since that’s the sentence he would likely have received in China.

[osiris]

HELLO.
All old people may steal - but it's the small stuff, not wallets. If she's been doing this on a regular basis, I'd press charges, even if I may drop them later - she needs a good scare to straighten her out.

But the real question is - is she a hot cougar?

[Oisín]

All old people may steal - but it's the small stuff, not wallets.

Wallets aren’t small stuff?


To answer the OP’s question: Punch her in the face and steal her wallet while she’s down. That’ll learn her.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Wallets aren’t small stuff?


To answer the OP’s question: Punch her in the face and steal her wallet while she’s down. That’ll learn her.

Compared to a pack of AAs or DoubleMint?

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Compared to a pack of AAs or DoubleMint?

There’s more of value in a pack of AAs than there is in my wallet.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by starman 

So what would you do?

Not leave my wallet sitting about in the first place.

(But if it happened, I'd do exactly the same as your friend did. Broken Windows theory, etc.)

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

To answer the OP’s question: Punch her in the face and steal her wallet while she’s down.

And then find out where she lives and go and appropriate her cats. All of them. Ha!

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

And then find out where she lives and go and appropriate her cats. All of them. Ha!

Replace ‘appropriate’ with ‘spay/neuter’ and I’m there.