Would You Believe

Would You Believe is a reader (and Times Herald Staff) favorite, so here is an extended selection of Associated Press stories that will sometimes make you stare, think, question or freak out.


Friday, January 25, 2008

Judge orders man who stole from Salvation Army to spend a night homeless

PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A judge on Thursday ordered a Salvation Army worker who stole a holiday kettle containing about $250 to spend the night homeless.
Nathen Smith, 28, was to spend the night anywhere but a house, said Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti. Smith was fitted with a GPS device to track his moves.
”My initial reaction was, ’Wow.’ But I don’t think the sentence is too harsh,“ said Smith, who expected to spend Thursday night in a homeless shelter. ”I can see the judge’s point because what I did, I shouldn’t have done. Now I’ve got to pay the consequences.“
The Salvation Army uses kettle donations to help pay for food, clothing and shelter for the homeless.
Smith, who also received a three-day jail sentence, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of theft.
Smith worked as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army outside a Kmart store in nearby Eastlake on Dec. 17. Police arrested him at his mother’s house after a co-worker reported that one of eight kettles was missing.
Smith was scheduled to return to court Friday to determine how much community service he must do to avoid paying a fine and costs for the tracking system.
Painesville is about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland.

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