To what extremes would a person who really wanted to quit smoking go? Would they be willing to hit a cop in the hopes of being thrown in jail so they could quit while incarcerated? Apparently, that is exactly what 31-year-old Etta Me Lopez of Sacramento, California was hoping for when she slapped Deputy Matt Campoy.
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It is supposed to be extremely hard to quit smoking. I wouldn't know because I am not a smoker, but being the daughter of a mother who has quit smoking more times than I can remember, I realize that quitting is not hard, it's not starting all over again that is hard. Mark Twain famously said, "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times."
Who knows how many times Lopez has unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking, but this time she was serious. Lopez stood outside of the Sacramento County jail for several hours waiting for the first deputy that crossed her path. The lucky winner was Matt Campoy who recieved a slap as his prize. When Campoy tried to restrain Lopez, she hit him in the arm.
Lopez was sentenced to 63 days in jail for a misdemeaner charge of battery against an officer. By the way, she pleaded no contest. Campoy says that Lopez told him "she knew that the only way to quit smoking was to go to jail because they don't allow tobacco in the jail."
I guess some people can afford to go to treatment centers to help with their addictions and those that can't sometimes have to get creative. I wish Lopez much success in her battle against nicotine and I hope she never has to use violence again to stay away from cigarettes.
Image via Fried Dough/Flickr
