Man Offers Message of Forgiveness After Theft During Seizure
Aug 7, 2018, 12:25 AM | Updated: 12:26 am
MIDVALE, Utah – A man who had contents stolen out of his wallet while he was having a seizure last fall offered some words of ‘encouragement’ to the woman ultimately charged with the crime, following a legal resolution to the case.
“I really hope that she gets better from this,” Dustin Malone said Monday. “Take this as a life lesson — not many people would have been quite as forgiving as I am about this.”
In October, surveillance video showed Malone in the middle of a seizure on the ground at a 7-11 in Midvale when the woman was seen going through his wallet.
“When they handed me my wallet, my driver’s license and my debit card were missing,” Malone said.
Police said the woman, subsequently identified by tipsters and family members as a 28-year-old Midvale resident, had made an online transaction with Malone’s card, but she told detectives after turning herself in that she did not recall any of what happened.
Court records showed the woman agreed to a plea in abeyance in July in connection with two third-degree felony charges of theft and unlawful transfer of a card.
Conditions of the plea included drug testing and mental health counseling over the next 36 months.
“I’m more about rehabilitation than punishment,” said Malone, who is employed as a healthcare worker. “I’m a firm believer in second chances. I always have been.”
Malone said since the ordeal, he had moved his valuables to a case that included his phone.
“(It) has my cell phone and a GPS tracker in it,” Malone said. “Anybody wants to take it now — you will be found!”
Malone said he hoped the woman learned from what happened.
“Obviously, you’re forgiven on my end — if there’s anything I can do for her, I will,” Malone said. “Understand you got lucky this time. You got a victim who is forgiving and has actually pushed the legal system to get the deal that you got. You may not be so lucky next time.”