Avocado thief: No jail, but unusual sentence
Avocado thief ordered not to possess more than 10 avocados at a time. Theft of 1,000 pounds of avocados was not avocado thief's first heist.
Avocados arrive to be sorted at the Del Rey Avocado Company in Fallbrook, Calif., in this 2002 file photo. On Oct.l 20, 2011, a judge ordered an avocado thief not to possess more than 10 avocados at any one time – or face up to 180 days in jail.
Denis Poroy/AP/File
VISTA, Calif.
An admitted avocado thief is reaping the fruits of his crime: He's banned from possessing more than 10 at a time.
Barron Stein of Fallbrook was sentenced Thursday for grand theft by a San Diego County judge.
Stein stole up to 1,000 pounds of avocados from a Bonsall grove in March. The haul was worth about $1,500.
The North County Times says the unemployed tow-truck driver claimed he was desperate to support his family. Security cameras caught him.
Authorities say he has a history of avocado thefts.
Stein wasn't given jail time but during his three years of probation he must avoid avocado groves without permission and can't possess more than 10 at a time. Violations will land him in jail for 180 days.