Etta Mae Lopez
Etta Mae Lopez wanted to quit smoking in the worst way, and she may have found it—slap a cop.
The 31-year-old admitted nicotine addict was waiting for a police officer, any police officer, to exit the Sacramento County Jail so she could smack him and get arrested. Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Campoy obliged.
As Campoy exited the jail at the end of his watch last Tuesday, Lopez stepped in front of him, blocked his path and then whacked him across the face. “I stepped to the left, she stepped to my left,” Campoy told the Sacramento Bee. “I stepped to the right, she stepped to my right. I stepped to the left again and she suddenly stepped into me and slapped my face.”
The deputy restrained her, took her into the jail lobby and sat her on a bench. The 5-foot 1-inch Lopez promptly slapped his arm, so he handcuffed her.
Campoy said Lopez told him that she couldn’t quit smoking and figured that she wouldn’t be able to light up in jail. Lopez picked an officer in uniform to make sure she nailed a cop and guaranteed jail time, Campoy said.
It worked. On Thursday, Lopez pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery on an officer and was sentenced to 63 days in jail. The judge also tacked on a five-day sentence for violation of her probation for a 2010 drunk driving conviction.
–Ken Broder
To Learn More:
Woman Allegedly Slaps Cop to Get Thrown in Jail to Stop Smoking (by Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee)
Bold Turkey: Woman Hits Cop to Kick Smoking Habit (Associated Press)