“Stolen” 99-Cent Hot Dog Leads to Full-On Jury Trial
In short, Richardson ate the hot dog while he was shopping, paid for his $28 worth of groceries, then walked out of the store without paying for his 99-cent hot dog.
At that point the jig was up–store employees followed him to the parking lot and held him there until police showed up and arrested him. This despite what nearly every report describes as Richardson’s insistence that he simply forgot he ate the thing, and his willingness to pay the dollar for the hot dog right then and there.
Instead, he was arrested by the cops and charged with shoplifting by Cheney Municipal Prosecutor Julie McKay.
Eventually McKay offered Richardson a plea deal that would have dismissed the shoplifting charge if he’d pay the original $.99 for the dog, plus a $200 penalty for stealing it.
