Freed for heart transplant, convict loses 2nd chance after petty theft

[alp227]

Source: CNN

New York (CNN) -- A convicted shoplifter caught stealing while released from prison for a life-saving heart transplant has been ordered back to jail, destroying her eligibility for the treatment.

"Friday, everything changed," defense attorney Leonard Isaacs of Valley Stream, New York, said for his client Diane McCloud, 47, who in January, he said, was diagnosed as having end-stage heart disease with an estimated six months to live.

She was released in January for treatment. McCloud was arrested again on July 16 for stealing Oil of Olay skin cream, Crest teeth whitening strips and diet pills from a Long Island CVS drug store, according to Chris Munzina, a spokesman for the Nassau County District Attorney's office. He said it was her 69th arrest.

Pleading guilty to the petit larceny charge Friday, McCloud was ordered back to the Nassau County Correctional Facility to finish the remainder of her 15 months, tacking on an additional six months for the most recent July theft, according to Isaacs.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/15/new.york.heart.theft/index.html

[Mz Pip]

1. This woman sounds like she's

got some form of mental illness. Skin cream and diet pills? She risked losing a new heart for those things?

[COLGATE4]

2. From a long time seeing criminal defendants I can say without

hesitation that the vast majority are just pretty damn stupid. She seems to fit that category quite well.

[pennylane100]

3. That is so sad,

She either has a serious emotional problem that is causing her to self destruct, or she is a total idiot with no idea that all actions have consequences. I think the psychiatric profession should use her as a test case of really self destructive behavior.

Never the less, I think there is something very wrong with a society in which a person has to pay with their life for shoplifting, and yes, I know she did committed other crimes. However, if we are going to start letting people die in prison because of lack of medical care, we should be able to kill off a lot more criminals than petty thieves. Let us start with all the rapists and mass murderers.

[Gman]

4. Kleptomania

reminds me of the I Love Lucy episode. "It all started with a sign that said 'Take One'".

[boppers]

5. "Oil of Olay skin cream, Crest teeth whitening strips and diet pills"...

Was this her "leave a good looking corpse" strategy?

[Historic NY]

6. People steal the darndest things.....

I recall having a guy who stole a 182 bars of soap from a local supermarket.....imagine a pair of track pants and a sweat shirt stuffed with them.

[boppers]

7. *blink* 182?

(heh)