No theft charge for Florida prosecutor in shoplifting case

MIAMI – Authorities have decided not to pursue theft charges against a veteran Florida prosecutor in a shoplifting case involving beauty products.

The SunSentinel reported Tuesday that prosecutors in Miami decided against moving ahead with the misdemeanour theft case against 56-year-old Broward County Assistant State Attorney Stacey Honowitz.

Aventura police said Honowitz put three items in her purse worth about $43 at a Publix supermarket in September and left without paying. Her lawyer says it was an honest mistake.

Honowitz has been a prosecutor for three decades and is a supervisor in her office’s sex crimes and child abuse unit. She has also written books for children about abuse and frequently appears as a commentator on television.

Officials say Honowitz has been restored to her $108,000-a-year job after a temporary suspension.