Having too much time on my hands, I decided to research the criminal activities of one Brandie Blystone, who Jim Harff (May 6 letters to the editor) would incarcerate posthaste.

Below are the first two sentences from Harff’s May 6 letter:

“Brandie Blystone has been in the newpaper so many times the last few months for shoplifting that I feel I’m getting to know her.

“What is it going to take to get her in jail?”

What my research discovered was that Blystone gave birth to a baby boy on Jan. 10 of this year. The next three times that she was mentioned in the paper all were related to one accusation of shoplifting from Walmart of $128 worth of merchandise. She was ordered to pay $569 in fines and court costs.

Heres a quote from the April 15 Butler Eagle: “Brandie Blystone, 21, of Butler was charged with retail theft after she allegedly tried to steal about $52 worth of merchandise from Walgreens.”

That is the second and final incident. What she allegedly stole were two baby outfits and four boxes of fig newtons.

She does not seem to be the hardened, habitual criminal who Harff is impatient to remand to the hoosegow.

I do not condone shoplifting, but this might be a young mother more in need of some compassion and guidance than prison time.

She apparently had no more than two transgressions with a swag valued at $180 retail.