Former Olympian says career in shambles after being accused of stealing ham, asparagus from store

Meaggan Pettipiece was a collegiate softball manager astatine 2 NCAA Division 1 schools and represented Canada astatine the 2000 Olympics successful Sydney.

However, she says 1 mishap astatine a supermarket checkout antagonistic has near her beingness successful shambles.

Pettipiece, 48, was arrested in Indiana successful March connected theft, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance aft an incidental astatine Walmart aft information successful the store alleged she failed to scan immoderate $67 worthy of items, including asparagus and ham, but different $176 worthy of merchandise. She said she did not cognize the scanner did not work the items.

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The Olympic rings successful the outfield during the Softball Preliminaries arsenic Canada plays Team USA astatine the Blacktown Olympic Centre connected Day Two of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games successful Sydney connected Sept. 17, 2000. (Doug Pensinger /Allsport)

When constabulary arrived, The Chicago Tribune reported that authorities recovered she had 3 disposable vapes successful her purse and 2 unopened packs of anti-nausea medication. The vapes were not nicotine oregon THC-based, and she said the medicine was not hers either.

She resigned arsenic caput manager of the Valparaiso softball squad days later.

The charges were aboriginal dismissed, but the headlines from the incidental are having a lasting effect connected her career.

"It is bittersweet," she told the National Post successful Canada. "I’m happy, obviously, the charges were dismissed. The bittersweet portion is the harm it did to my career. It has changed everything successful my life."

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Meaggan Pettipiece was a collegiate softball manager astatine 2 NCAA Division 1 schools and represented Canada astatine the 2000 Olympics successful Australia. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Pettipiece disquieted to the outlet that her effort to wide her sanction was not going to person the aforesaid effect arsenic the incidental did.

"The pugnacious happening is, however bash you get retired to radical that you are innocent? And this harm was done for thing truthful ridiculous," she said.

"I’m not definite of the future. For now, I’m going to enactment astatine location and absorption connected my kids. I’d similar to fig retired which absorption I’m going to spell in."

Pettipiece had been the caput manager since 2023. The squad did not scope 10 wins successful either season. She was the caput manager astatine Akron and an adjunct manager astatine Kent State earlier taking implicit astatine Valparaiso.

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Pettipiece said she volition effort to beryllium an umpire.

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