Charge dropped against woman arrested after forgetting cookies in trolley

When a young woman forgot to pay for a R49,99 packet of cookies left behind in her trolley, she was arrested for theft and had to spend a traumatic night in the holding cells.

Her Dutch boyfriend was left panicked when the 24-year-old Humewood resident did not return home that night.

He later found out that Jessica le Grange had been thrown into a jail cell for allegedly stealing the cookies.

Le Grange was arrested on a charge of shoplifting after the incident, which occurred at a large Gqeberha grocery store on Monday, and held in the Humewood police station holding cells overnight.

When he arrived at the Gqeberha magistrate’s court on Tuesday, Cas van Rossum was relieved that he could take Le Grange home after the state withdrew the case against her.

Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg confirmed Le Grange had been arrested on a charge of shoplifting.

Van Rossum, who met Le Grange while she was working as an au pair in the Netherlands, and had been staying with her in Humewood for three months, said she usually arrived home in the afternoons.

But as night fell, she had still not returned home.

Just as he was starting to worry, he received a call informing him that she had been arrested.

When he asked why, he was told she had allegedly stolen cookies — despite having paid for the rest of her groceries, which totalled R200.

“It was a shock,” he said outside the court.

“She would never steal. It was a mistake — the cookies were in the trolley by accident, and she didn’t see them.

“I’m not used to things like this, especially not where I’m from.”

Van Rossum said Le Grange had gone to play tennis and then went to the shops to buy food. 

Le Grange said she was just glad it was all over after the state withdrew the case.

“I didn’t steal anything. The cookies were in the trolley I used.

“I paid for my groceries — why wouldn’t I pay for a pack of cookies?”

The Herald