A former Olympian has spoken about how her life was destroyed after she forgot to scan asparagus and ham at a Walmart self-checkout machine.
Canadian athlete Meaggan Pettipiece, 48, was arrested on March 28 in Indiana for theft, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.
The charges have since been dropped, but Pettipiece lost her prestigious job as a result and says her career and reputation have been ruined.
Her downfall began after Walmart security reported that the US college softball coach had failed to scan a couple of food items during a grocery haul at a self-checkout machine.
Police searched Pettipiece and found three disposable vapes in her purse, along with two unopened blister packs containing anti-nausea medication Zofran.
The charges were dropped against the athlete from Blenheim, Ontario on September 19 – but she said the incident ‘changed everything’.
Meaggan Pettipiece, 48, was arrested in Indiana for theft, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance – but the charges have since been dropped
‘It is bittersweet,’ Pettipiece told National Post. ‘I’m happy, obviously, the charges were dismissed.
‘The sad part is the damage it did to my career. It has changed everything in my life.
‘It’s been five months, a living nightmare. I lost my career, I lost my job, the life I was building and it’s been really difficult.’
Pettipiece resigned as head coach of the NCAA Division 1 softball team at Valparaiso University in Indiana shortly after the Walmart incident.
Police detained the softball coach at the supermarket and found that $67 worth of items, including asparagus and ham, had not been scanned.
She paid for other items worth $167, according to local news reports from March.
It was during the arrest and subsequent search of Pettipiece that police uncovered the vapes and nausea medication.
‘It was so ridiculous,’ Pettipiece said, adding that she didn’t realize the self-checkout scanner hadn’t read some of the items.
The former athlete added that the vapes did not contain nicotine or THC, and the pills were a prescription belonging to an assistant coach who asked her to look after them when they headed to a softball game.
‘We both forgot about them,’ she said.
The Valparaiso Beacons softball team confirmed that Pettipiece resigned on April 1.
Canadian athlete Meaggan Pettipiece, 48, was arrested on March 28 in Indiana for theft, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance – but the charges have since been dropped
The charges were dropped against the athlete from Blenheim, Ontario on September 19 – but she said the incident ‘changed everything in my life’
‘The softball community is a tightknit group and it (the news) went through like wildfire,’ Pettipiece told National Post.
‘You really do learn who the people are that really believe in you and trust you and are truly a friend for you.’
In the aftermath of her arrest, the court proceedings were delayed, until her lawyer’s request for a dismissal was approved.
Judges reviewed Pettipiece’s account of the incident, proof of her assistant’s prescription and character reference letters before coming to the decision.
Pettipiece played softball for Canada at the 2000 Sydney Games and was an alternate for the 2004 Olympic team.