Sunday, December 10, 2006

Steal and be very ashamed

A young woman sentenced to walk a downtown sidewalk wearing a sandwich board announcing her crime as a condition of her probation for burglary said the experience was humbling and humiliating, but definitely better than serving jail time.

I am a thief

"I understand the judge's reasoning", said Breanna Klewitz, 23, of her two-hour walk on a sidewalk in front of the Dougherty County Courthouse, Georgia, wearing signs that read, "I am a thief" and "I stole what you worked for."

"If you do something wrong, you have to accept some responsibility," she said. "Sitting in a jail cell does provide anonymity. I wish the world didn't have to know me by face and by name. But I understand his reasoning.

Chief Superior Court Judge Loren Gray sentenced Klewitz to five-years probation as a first offender for her role in a June burglary at a local fast-food restaurant, where she worked as an assistant manager. Besides a $US1086 ($1376) fine, the judge ordered her to make signs with 8-inch letters, visible from at least 25 feet, and wear them while walking the block-long sidewalk along a busy downtown street.

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