UPDATE: Turns out the pumpkin thief wasn’t working alone — she had been on a date with her man when they committed the offense, totaling $10 worth of purloined pumpkins. And both were found guilty in their case today.

The two college students claimed they were under the impression that a free pumpking was part of the price of admission to the patch. Their sentence includes 40 hours of community service and the two have to pay their court fee of $73, says KOAT News.

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Jury duty is already a groan-worthy occasion, but imagine being called in to sit in judgment over the theft of a $2 pumpkin. That’s what is happening in the case of a 23-year-old woman in Albuquerque who accidentally left a pumpkin patch without paying for a small gourd.

Back in October 2011, local KOAT News says the woman spent $75 on funnel cakes and other food at a pumpkin patch, went on hay rides and generally had fun. As she was leaving, she picked up a small pumpkin and was approached by police, explains her sister.

“(She) said, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Can I pay for them?’ (They said), ‘Nope,’ and she was handcuffed immediately — end of story, no ifs or buts,” said the sister.

When she was given an order to appear in court and complied, she figured the charges would be dropped. Not so much — she refused to plead guilty and do probation, and now the case is one for a jury.

Tax payers’ dollars at work!

Woman Accused Of Stealing $2 Pumpkin Faces Trial [KOAT News]

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