Victoria Hill, Idaho Woman, Could Face 10 Years In Prison For Stealing A Single Can Of Beer

An Idaho woman might be sent to the can for a decade -- all for a single can of beer.

Police in Boise arrested 35-year-old Victoria Hill for allegedly shoplifting a single can of Steel Reserve lager from a grocery on Aug. 11 and charged her with felony burglary, a count that carries a hefty prison sentence of as long as 10 years, The Idaho Statesman reports.

Investigators say they "believe the suspect entered the store with the intent to commit the theft resulting in the burglary charge," according to a police press release published on the city's website.

"She did stick the beer in her purse, which kind of says intent right there, and she walked past several open registers before exiting the establishment," Boise Police Department spokesman Chuck McClure told Reuters.

If found guilty of felony burglary charges for the $1.50 beverage, Hill could be sentenced to no less than one year in prison and a maximum of 10 years, according to the news agency.

Comments

[Ty Thompson]

06:15 PM on 08/19/2011

Wow, if those were the rules when I was a teen I'd be serving a few life sentences.

[JasonJM]

01:59 PM on 08/19/2011

It will get reduced....non story.

[yellowdog71]

12:18 PM on 08/19/2011

That's Idaho for you.

[LiberalBuzz]

11:27 AM on 08/19/2011

Sheer idiocy.

[Chris Samuels]

02:11 AM on 08/19/2011

And the poeple we put in charge to run this Country wonder why we are in so much Debt..... If they would get their HEADS OUT OF THEIR ASS may they could fix this problem instead of making more DEBT.........

[blacksmithn]

10:10 AM on 08/18/2011

Jeez, who's the prosecutor, Inspector Javert?

[Ayla McIntosh]

08:06 PM on 08/17/2011

The guy in an article above this got 12 days for stealing a diamond ring...

[Jack Davies]

07:44 PM on 08/17/2011

If there is any justice, this will be tossed out and replaced with the obvious shoplifting charge that it should be. To call it felony burglary is beyond "trumping it up". The value of the stolen goods does not even exceed $500, so I cannot see how they got felony out of this.

[Doug Sandlin]

05:18 PM on 08/17/2011

Interesting that the Norwegian man who recently murdered 76 or so people in cold blood is facing a maximum sentence of 21 years (though with an extension provision that may keep him incarcerated permanently).

The reason for the 21 years is simple:

In Norway, that's the maximum sentence for *anything*. No life sentences (unless, per above, the person is determined to be a continuing danger to society); no death penalty; the focus is on rehabilitation, not punishment.

This may seem somewhat crazy to many Americans --- except for the fact that Norway's recidivism rate (people who return to prison for committing crimes after they are released) is roughly half that of the U.S.

And Norway has prison environments that are ..... decidedly less hellish than our own.

Decidedly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyiodSMNv4E

Now, one comment for that video said that that prison (shown in the video linked above) is not representative; that it's a nicer "halfway house" for prisoners near the end of their sentence.

Maybe that's true -- but Norway's regular prisons don't seem much different.

http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/the-vice-guide-to-norwegian-prisons--60

Moral of the story?

If you're going to steal a beer .... steal it in Norway.

[Bobbotov]

04:26 PM on 08/17/2011

I guess a six pack means life.

[Uncle Rico]

04:16 PM on 08/17/2011

I could see her getting a harsh sentence if she had actually swiped something good, but Steel Reserve? They ought to give her a medal for stomaching that stuff.

[Puzzlr]

04:10 PM on 08/17/2011

This is a bit harsh. Its also harsh that HuffPo didn't post her picture. Ya'll know what that means.

[LiberalBuzz]

12:49 PM on 08/19/2011

No,what?

[Puzzlr]

05:26 PM on 08/19/2011

It means that its rare for HuffPo to post a picture of a white criminal. So usually if a crime is committed and there is no photo, the accused is white. I've even seen them post a picture of the victim (if he/she) is black, rather than the accused. Only after reading the article do you find out, the person pictured didn't do anything.

[BinghamLofts]

03:50 PM on 08/17/2011

misleading headline all the way.

[Dave Harrison]

03:21 PM on 08/17/2011

Prison for profit system is alive and well.

[Erik Howell]

03:05 PM on 08/17/2011

"I'm Idaho!"

"Yes; of course you are."