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Photo: 'I stole art from Glass Roots'

By Howard B. Owens

A young woman worked an agreement with Jeremy Almeter, owner of Glass Roots on Center Street, to avoid criminal charges after she was caught on video making an art heist from the shop. The woman walked out the front door with two paintings on the very first day Almeter was using a video surveilance system installed by Rich Clark of Computer and Phone Repair (CPR). Almeter and the woman made an agreement not to release her name. She walked in front of the store for two hours today carrying the sign reading "I stole art from Glass Roots."

George Richardson

She stole art, facilitating and obligating Howard Owens to make art, with his camera, and a local business got some free advertising via "The Batavian." One loser, two winners, the American way.

Oct 27, 2011, 5:07pm Permalink
Robert Caplick

Any free press is good press... one of the draw backs of batavia as a store owner is the high rate of theft. I had stuff disappear at least 3 times & the front window broken in when I had a biz in the area...

Oct 27, 2011, 5:34pm Permalink
RICHARD L. HALE

Didn't want your name released? D-U-H. Should have worn the glasses with the big nose and mustache, BEFORE they took your picture!!

Oct 28, 2011, 1:23am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Richard, it's not like people won't know who she is when they drive by and see her with the sign around her neck. Withholding her name is kind of irrelevant in a town like Batavia.

I actually prefer this kind of outcome over police action, arrest and court costs to tax payers. I think she should have to pay the merchant for the price of the stolen property, also, even if the property is recovered undamaged.

Shaming a person into acceptable behavior for petty crimes should be used more often as a form of punishment. I believe people respond better when they're openly accountable to their peers, family and to the people in their community that they have to rub shoulders with every day.

Lets also not forget about the option of community service. If you steal from a merchant, you've also stolen from the community by creating an atmosphere of mistrust between the merchant and anyone that walks through their door.

Oct 28, 2011, 7:07am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Ritchie, did she steal those, too? I thought they kinda looked like Walmart specials and might have said "LADY" across the butt. Even if you pay $80 for sweats, they still look cheap and trashy.

Oct 28, 2011, 8:57am Permalink

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