Cat Urine, Not Methamphetamine

(Tampa, Florida) In August, a 38-year-old single mother, Cynthia Hunter, was arrested for theft of merchandise at Wal-Mart and found to also be in possession of a vial of powder that a presumptive test identified as methamphetamine.

Hunter was charged with theft and drug possession. However, after spending 50 days in jail, a conclusive test of the powder determined that it wasn't meth. Hunter claims it was cat urine that she had dehydrated.

Consequently, Hunter is angry that she had to spend time in jail on a bogus charge.

She was released from jail Thursday, after pleading guilty to the petty theft charge. But now she's looking for a lawyer to help her pursue a civil lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office for jailing her on a charge that turned out to be false.

"This ruined my life," she said.

Hunter related two different stories regarding why she was carrying the vial of cat urine. She told detectives that it was for her son to test negative during mandatory drug screening since he is on probation. She also said it was a novelty item, the latest on the market. However, a records search found no drug arrests for either of her two sons.

While the Sheriff's deputies are interested in knowing why Hunter was carrying the cat urine, I'm a bit curious about how she obtained it. I imagine it's not an easy task. "Here, Kitty, Kitty! Come to Mamma."

In conclusion, Hunter did 50 days in jail for theft and a probation violation. And, since the drug charge was dropped, she's looking for a lawyer to sue the city for false imprisonment -- or something like that. It's anyone's guess on how the case will end.