Pregnant Mom Arrested, Loses Custody of Daughter Over $5 Sandwich

Remember the mom who was banned for life from a grocery store for forgetting to pay for a half-gallon of milk she stowed under her stroller while shopping? In the latest "mommy brain caper," a 30-weeks pregnant Hawaii mom was arrested and temporarily lost custody of her daughter after failing to pay for a $5 sandwich she nibbled on while shopping.

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Nicole Leszczynski, the mom, was shopping at her local Safeway with her husband and 3-year-old daughter when she started to feel lightheaded. She said she picked up a sandwich to eat while shopping, but forgot to add it to the $50 of groceries she paid for. When they tried to leave the store after checking out, the family was stopped by a security guard, who asked to see the receipt. Leszczynski said she offered to pay for the sandwich (and had the cash on hand to do so), but the store manager called the police and she and her husband were arrested, charged with fourth-degree theft, and—here comes the worst part—their 3-year-old daughter was taken into child protective services while both parents were held at the police station overnight. The police didn't comment on the story.

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Watch the mom tell her side of the story to KHON news:

Stealing is wrong, but seeing as how this mom offered to pay up once she realized her mistake, I'm not sure why the store and the police gave her the full-on criminal treatment and took her kid away from her over a measly $5. In fact, the store has since acknowledged that it “may not have handled this matter in the best possible way.”

Did you ever have a mommy brain moment like this when you were pregnant? Do you think that the store and/or police overreacted in this situation?