Published: November 04, 2009 12:57 am      

Women display signs to stay out of jail

BEDFORD — In exchange for no jail time, a woman and her adult daughter have agreed to stand outside the Bedford County Courthouse holding signs saying they stole a gift card from a 9-year-old girl on her birthday.

Fifty-six-year-old Evelyn Border and 35-year-old Tina Griekspoor stood outside the courthouse for 41/2 hours Tuesday.

They held signs that read: “I stole from a 9-year-old girl on her birthday! Don’t steal or this could happen to you!”

Because the women agreed to hold the signs, county District At-torney Bill Higgins said he’ll ask for probation instead of jail when they plead guilty to the theft.

Higgins said they swiped a gift card that the girl set on a shelf while a Wal-Mart employee helped her.

The girl’s mother planned to drive by the courthouse to teach her daughter the importance of obeying the law.