An Olympian’s formerly esteemed life has turned into a ‘living nightmare’ following an instantly regrettable mistake.
In March, former professional athlete Meaggan Pettipiece entered a Walmart, unaware that her actions would drastically alter her life’s path.
The 48-year-old represented Canada in softball at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. While her team didn’t win a medal, she also competed in the Athens 2004 Olympics.
Her time on the national team was rewarding; she helped her team secure a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games and repeated this success in 2003.
Reflecting on that period, Pettipiece said: “Everything happened like a whirlwind for me in 1998.
“I thought I was coming here to play basketball than I end up with softball and making All-American and become part of a national champion.
“Then, within six months of being a slap-hitter for Coach B, I am playing at the world level and end up scoring the winning run in the Olympic qualifying game to go to Japan in 1998.”
But the whirlwind of events did not end there for her.
At the time she entered Walmart, Pettipiece was a US college softball coach. Her actions led to her dismissal.
So, what exactly happened?
As you’ve likely guessed, she was caught shoplifting, although she maintains it was an honest mistake.
Sharp-eyed Walmart security guards noticed that she had not scanned $67 worth of groceries, including asparagus and ham, despite paying for other items totaling $176 at a self-serve checkout.
The authorities were called, and upon police arrival, they found three disposable vapes in her purse, along with two unopened blister packets containing Zofran, a medication for nausea, as reported by local news outlets.
She explained that the anti-nausea tablets belonged to her assistant coach, who asked her to hold them when they were heading to a softball game, and they simply ‘forgot about them’.
On March 28, Pettipiece was charged in Porter County, Indiana, with possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, and theft.
The marijuana was allegedly found in the vapes, which she claimed did not contain either nicotine or THC, while the controlled substance was from the blister packs.
Pettipiece said: “It was so ridiculous.”
By Thursday (September 19), all charges against her were dismissed, though they had already caused significant career damage.
From her home in Ohio, she expressed, “It is bittersweet. I’m happy, obviously, the charges were dismissed. The sad part is the damage it did to my career. It has changed everything in my life.
“It’s been five months, a living nightmare. I lost my career, I lost my job, the life I was building and it’s been really difficult.”
Following the charges, she resigned as the head coach of the softball team at Valparaiso University in Indiana.