The Los Angeles Times reports that Mitrice Richardson was arrested almost one year ago for not being able to pay an $89 dinner tab at a Malibu restaurant. California Penal Code Section 537 states that such an offense is typically a misdemeanor crime and is punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail.
Anybody accused of getting food without paying always has the right to be represented by a Los Angles criminal defense attorney. Yet Mitrice Richardson never got herself a lawyer and after her arrest, she mysteriously went missing.
This is what has sparked a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The 24-year-old women was released from the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff's Station in the dark without her car, cellphone, or purse. Her family not only questioned the department's procedures for releasing people at night, but also stated that Mitrice Richardson should have been held for a mental health evaluation after customers at the restaurant reported that she had been acting strangely.
The woman had been missing for almost a year, before the skeletal remains of her body were found on Monday in Malibu Canyon. The father of the victim has heavily criticized the County Sheriff's Department for mishandling his daughter's case from beginning to end. Him and Mitrice Richardson's mother have each filed separate lawsuits against the Sheriff's Department alleging negligence.
"This book is not closed," Michael Richardson told the Los Angeles Times. "More chapters need to be written. We are going to hold people accountable.... I will continue to fight for her."
Related Resources:
- Criminal Procedure FAQ (FindLaw)
- See a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
- Death and Dying (FindLaw's LawBrain)
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