A Cincinnati babysitter is accused of felony theft after almost emptying her employer’s fridge, freezer, and pantry over a 2h40 time-lapse, devouring over 75 lbs of food without permission.
51-year old Barbara Smith was arrested this morning by the Cincinnati Police Department for illegally eating over $1500 worth of food while babysitting two young children.
She faces a total of seven criminal charges, including 5th-degree felony theft, criminal negligence, and child endangerment.
According to the prosecutor assigned to this case, Mr. Anthony Jones, the accused ate almost every edible thing she could find, including pet food.
“Her employer’s told her she could take some cookies or chips if she was hungry. They never said anything about 12 pounds of bacon, three gallons of ice cream, or 18 large pizzas!”
Mr. Jones says the accused was hired to watch the children while the parents were at the hospital for medical exams, but just locked the children up in a room and spent her time binge eating.
“They hired her to watch their kids and she didn’t. She spent all her time cooking and stuffing herself.”
Ms. Smith’s lawyer, Jacob Meyer, says his client suffers from a serious eating disorder and shouldn’t be held criminally responsible for the consequences of her medical condition.
Mr. Meyer says the plaintive should have shown compassion towards his client’s condition instead of reacting in such an arbitrary and discriminatory way.
If she is found guilty on all charges, she faces a maximum of 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of $27,500. Her trial is scheduled to begin in December.