LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Lancaster woman was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation after being convicted of stealing $83.23 worth of items from a pet store.
Maritza Gonzalez, 50, had an outburst in the courtroom when the verdict was announced, striking her attorney and shouting obscenities at the jury, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Gonzalez's actions caused Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright to clear the courtroom after members of the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office subdued her, prosecutors said.
Gonzalez later apologized to her attorney and to the judge for her actions, according to prosecutors.
Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Rall requested that Wright impose a sentence that included a period of incarceration in light of Gonzalez's actions in the courtroom, the DA's office said. Sentencing guidelines allowed for up to nine months of incarceration, plus probation, prosecutors said.
But Wright instead sentenced Gonzalez to three years of probation, which can terminate in 18 months if Gonzalez pays all fines and restitution and does not violate probation.
Gonzalez was arrested on Feb. 11, 2020 by East Hempfield Township Police after she and another suspect helped one another conceal the theft of beta fish food, flea and tick drops, dog pajamas, a dog sweater, and dog boots from That Fish Place on Centerville Road, according to prosecutors.
“Our office commends jurors, especially in this instance, as they provide an invaluable civic duty in upholding our justice system," Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said in a press release. “Outbursts such as this – directed specifically at jurors, counsel or anyone – are despicable and have no place in our courtrooms."
