An online fund has been opened for the Ohio woman who was charged with petty theft after taking change out of a courthouse fountain to buy food, and so far, more than $14,000 has been raised.
A police officer approached Deidre Romine on Oct. 7 when she spied the unemployed woman picking coins out of the Logan County Courthouse fountain in Bellefontaine. Romine was charged with petty theft for taking $2.87, which she said she needed to feed herself and her cats.
But according to Police Chief Brandon Standley, who spoke with the Associated Press, Romine reportedly lied when the officer asked her about the change. He stated that the officer issued the citation on legitimate grounds.
"In this instance, it is clear that the actions of Ms. Romine were less than cooperative, causing the officer to conclude that a summons was necessary," Standley told the Bellefontaine Examiner.
38-year-old Romine has pleaded not guilty, and is scheduled to appear in court for trial in November.
Now, a Bellefontaine businessman has opened a GoFundMe online donation page that has raised over $14,000 in Romine's name.
Owner of ConnectToHome Will Zell started the page after hearing Romine's story.
"Prior to this event, I did not know Deidre," he wrote on the donation page. "We live in the same county, but I did not know her personally. Now, not only me, but our entire community, and many people from around the world, have rallied around her to provide a fresh start."
When Romine was first ticketed, she told a local news station that she'd been out of work for a while, and had been struggling to make ends meet. She also said she'll soon be evicted from her apartment, since she'd fallen behind on rent, and was concerned about potentially having to serve jail time for fishing the coins out the fountain.
"I'm trying to feed myself and I've got four cats I'm raising and trying to feed them," she told WBNS-10TV at the time. "I might go to jail."
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