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| New Jersey man tried for 58 cent theft |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 04/09/2001 |
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It was not the crime of the century when a man allegedly stole 58 cents from a car in rural New Jersey, but his trial and incarceration could end up costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over protests from a taxpayers' advocacy group and civil libertarians, prosecutors are pressing for a prison sentence of between five and 10 years for a drifter accused of stealing the money in Greenwich, New Jersey, in 1999. In drifter Michael Monroe's defense, his attorney said he slid his hand through a slightly open window of the car to give more air to a Rottweiler dog that had been left inside by its owner. It had already cost taxpayers $16,000 to keep Monroe in prison before his trial started recently in Warren County Superior Court, local officials said. If he receives the maximum prison sentence, local officials said the tab for his confinement would be about $270,000. Prosecutors alleged Monroe, 50, stole the money on June 6, 1999, by sliding his hand through a slightly open window of the car while it was parked in a supermarket lot. Car owner David Laman said he left the window open to let in air for his dog. When Laman returned to the lot, he said he saw Monroe in the front seat. He then got out and drove away in his own car. |
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