A Jury Feels Compassion For Sandra Mendez Ortega & Pays Her Fine

[Sugar Cookie]

A jury in Virginia had to convict a maid for felony grand larceny after she stole $5,000 worth of rings from the home she cleaned- but felt badly for the pregnant 19-year-old, so they paid her fine for her.

Jury foreman Jeffery Memmott says they pooled together $80 for Sandra Mendez Ortega, who is pregnant with her second child, after they convicted her. But while the story seems sweet- the victim, Lisa Copeland, is outraged.

'I just pray that they're never in my shoes,' Copeland said. She also says Ortega never accepted responsibility for the theft. 'If she had accepted accountability, I would be okay with all of this. The fact that she won't accept accountability makes it wrong.'

Copeland was also angered by the paltry $60 fine, which equated to one day of services as a maid, and that Ortega made off $20 richer.

'I was outraged,' Copeland said. 'I was just flabbergasted. I didn't think $60 equated to the crime at all.'

One juror knew that 'Justice had to be done.' But the juror, Janice Woolridge said, 'there's also got be some compassion somewhere. Young people make bad decisions. We just couldn't pile on any more.'

'The general sentiment was she was a victim, too,' Memmott said. 'Two of the women [jurors] were crying because of how bad they felt. One lady pulled out a $20 bill, and just about everybody chipped in.'

After Copeland had her home cleaned in September of 2016, she noticed two rings were missing, the third had little value and went unnoticed until they were returned to her.

One of the rings was her grandmother's engagement ring- made in 1943, the other was her wedding ring.

She contacted the company that she used for the cleaning, and at first none of the three women confessed during interviews with police.

Afterwards Ortega felt bad and admitted her wrongdoing to her boss and handed over the rings to him. She then confessed to the police.

Copeland says it was not revealed to the benevolent jury that Ortega is in America illegally.

Copeland says she was told her citizen status was not relevant to the crime, but she disagrees.

'I think it's relevant to the case,' Copeland said, adding that being convicted of a felony has less implications for an illegal immigrant who can't vote or buy a gun anyway- as those are rights that are taken away from felons.

'It really irritates me that she came here and committed a felony,' said Jeff Copeland, Lisa Copeland's husband. 'People are coming here because there is opportunity here. But when they come here and commit crimes, that's where you've got to draw the line.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-maid-stole-rings-fine-homeowner-furious.html

What do you think, should the jury have taken compassion on this woman? Should her status have revealed to the jury and do you think it would have made a difference.

 

[Keepalowprofile]

That is outrageous.

 

[lapsus.lingua]

Actually, I love it. I understand she did wrong, but...my heart is happy

 

[Dead Stephanie]

Right is right and wrong is wrong, there are no sympathy clauses in the law. Also, crimes do not reflect citizenship status, the only status you have after you break the law is a criminal or convict status.

 

[Forensicwx]

I don’t care about her status.

A thief is a thief.

Pregnant or not. 19 or 99.

She knew better and decided to take what wasn’t hers. She wouldn’t have paid the fine anyway, so I really don’t care about that part, either.

Deport her ass. I can’t stand thieves. I worked for it. I bought it.

You have zero right to steal it! Just because your ass didn’t earn the money to buy it on your own doesn’t mean you get to pick what you want from someone else’s things.

Thieves stole gifts I bought for Toys For Tots in 2013. 10 of them. And also stole my dead gma’s diamond ring.

I don’t give a shit if she admitted it and said sorry. She’s sorry she got caught.

She wouldn’t be saying the same had she gotten away with it and fenced her items. She didn’t feel remorse and admit it. POS got busted. Then the tears come.

Kick this bitch back to her home country.

 

[Sejanus]

Laughable

 

[McDanel]

She also felt remorse, admitted to the crime, and returned the rings, which a moderating factor. It may look odd, but something swayed this jury

 

[thatsmallgrl]

Copeland says it was not revealed to the benevolent jury that Ortega is in America illegally.

This tells me all I need to know.

She's not here legally and is stealing shit.

Fuck her, and her age.

Deport her ass. I'm all for being nice and whatnot, but paying a fine for a criminal.... No, just no.

 

[JackBurton]

The fact that she is pregnant for the second time at age 19 shows she's scummy trash and wont have anything of value to offer the world. Fucking idiot that will become a parasite on society, well i suppose she already is by stealing.

Someone who would steal in the first place isnt the type of person that deserves help. This isn't a mistake. It takes a certain type of person with a definitive lack of morality and strong values and care for one's fellow human being to steal like this. This isnt shopping lifting from a scumbag corporation like walmart, this taking meaningful, important personal items from someones home. There's also a violation of trust involved given her position working as a maid. Disgusting.

Once a scumbag who steals, always a scumbag. This can not be denied.

She will raise her children with such a lack of moral righteousness and ethical values as well. An entire generation of criminals is going to be bred and spewed into the world by this filth.

The jurors clearly have never been victims or had personal exposure to filth criminals, either that or theyre of similar ilk. ANyone who has experienced what it's like dealing with a scumbag animal like this can attest to what worthless and vile trash such shitstains are. These most defintely are NOT people deserving of ANY assistance whatsoever.

One of the most disgusting stories i've ever read on this site.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

No Update - just wondering how many more children she has shit out while here illegally.