30-years for stealing a donut?

A man in Missouri is facing the possibility of a 30-year prison sentence for stealing a donut from a local convenience store. The donut wasn’t made of gold, diamonds or anything else valuable (unless you reallylove sprinkles); it was an ordinary 52-cent donut. What happened was that the man shoplifted the donut and, while trying to make his escape, assaulted the store clerk. The assault changes a very minor charge into a “strong arm robbery” – with the potential for a prison sentence that goes with it (plus extra time in this case for a past record. The strong arm robbery sentence is generally 5-15).

Perhaps low blood sugar – hence the desparate need for a sugary pastry – is to blame here? County prosecutors say “it’s not about the donut,” but seem to be overlooking the fact that if it were not for the donut, there might not have been a crime to begin with. Plus, it makes the story a whole lot more interesting.

In other, unrelated, donut news, Krispy Kreme has their pumpkin-shaped Halloween donuts and Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts out right now. I recommend that you actually pay for yours if you want to try one, but you can always make pumpkin-spiced donuts at home, if you prefer.