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Couple plans to fight arrest over $5 sandwich

HONOLULU, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- A Honolulu couple said they will fight shoplifting charges for failing to pay for a $5 sandwich eaten while shopping in a grocery store.

Officials for the Safeway grocery store said in a statement they "may not have handled" the situation as well as they could have when a pregnant woman and her husband were arrested last week for not paying for the sandwich and their 3-year-old daughter was placed with Child Protective Services, KHON-TV, Honolulu, reported.

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"It appears we may not have handled this matter in the best possible way and we are taking the situation seriously," Safeway said.

Nicole Leszczynski said she ate the sandwich while in the store because she was feeling faint but forgot to pay for it when she, her husband and 3-year-old girl checked out, KHON reported Friday. When a security guard asked for a receipt to prove she paid for the sandwich, Leszczynski said she offered to pay right then, but the store manager called police and she and her husband were arrested on fourth-degree theft.

"It was a complete distraction, distracted parent moment," she told KHON. "I offered to pay, we had the cash we just bought the groceries."

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She said her daughter was returned to her 18 hours later.

"When they notified us that they would have to take her because we both would be arrested, I just couldn't believe it, couldn't believe this was happening, because I forgot to pay for the sandwich and that she's never been away from us this long," Leszczynski said.

The couple said they will fight the charge when their case is heard this month.

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