Wendy's Human Finger in Chili "finder" arrested...

[Herzig]

What a real piece of work. Looks like she may get what she deserves...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...wendy_s_finger


Woman in Wendy's Finger Case Arrested


By CHRISTINA ALMEIDA, Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS - The woman who claimed she found a finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili last month has been arrested, the latest twist in a bizarre case about how the 1 1/2-inch finger tip ended up in a bowl of fast food.

New $100,000 Reward in Wendy's Chili Finger Case



Anna Ayala was taken into custody late Thursday at her Las Vegas home, police said.

Authorities would not provide details until a news conference Friday in San Jose, Calif. — the city where Ayala claimed she bit down on the finger in a mouthful of her steamy stew.

Ayala's 18-year-old son, Guadalupe Reyes, said he had gone to the store around 9 p.m. when he got a phone call from a friend who was back at the Las Vegas home.

"We rushed back and she was already gone," Reyes said.

Reyes said he had no other details and was waiting to hear from his mother.

Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. did not immediately return a call Friday.

Ayala's claim that she found the finger tip, complete with a well-manicured nail, on March 22 initially drew sympathy. But when police and health officials failed to find any missing digits among the workers involved in the restaurant's supply chain, suspicion fell on Ayala, and her story has become a late-night punch line.

Ayala hired a lawyer and filed a claim against the Wendy's franchise owner, Fresno-based JEM Management. But after police searched her home in Las Vegas and continued to question her family, she dropped the lawsuit threat, saying the whole situation was just too stressful.

"Lies, lies, lies, that's all I am hearing," Ayala said after police started questioning her. "They should look at Wendy's. What are they hiding? Why are we being victimized again and again?"

As it turns out, Ayala has a litigious history. She has filed claims against several corporations, including a former employer and General Motors, though it is unclear from court records whether she received any money. She said she got $30,000 from El Pollo Loco after her 13-year-old daughter got sick at one of the chain's Las Vegas-area restaurants. El Pollo Loco officials say she did not get a dime.

Earlier Thursday, Wendy's International Inc. announced it had ended its internal investigation, saying it could find no credible link between the finger and the restaurant chain.

Sales have dropped at franchises in Northern California, forcing layoffs and reduced hours, the company said. Wendy's also has hired private investigators, set up a hot line for tips and offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the finger's original owner.


Associated Press writers Josh Dubow in San Francisco and Joe Cavaretta in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

[Biohazard]

So if she put it in there, and was still eating it, knowin it was in there. I dont know but IMO she needs more than jail time......say a padded cell and maybe some MEDS......

[BIG_DADDY]

15,000 employees have been let go or had their hours cut here in northern cali.

[4th and Long]

Police: Woman arrested in finger hoax

Police say she lied about finding a digit in her Wendy's chili

Friday, April 22, 2005 Posted: 6:42 PM EDT (2242 GMT)

SAN JOSE, California (CNN) -- Police said Friday that a woman lied about finding a human finger in a bowl of chili last month at a Wendy's restaurant here.

They said Anna Ayala, 39, was arrested Thursday night at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada, on a charge of attempted grand theft in connection with the episode.


Anna Ayala was arrested Thursday night
on charges of theft and attempted theft.

Ayala was also charged with grand theft in connection with an unrelated incident uncovered during the course of the Wendy's investigation. She is accused of bilking a woman out of $11,000 in a real estate transaction.

San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis said Ayala will be extradited to California.

Ayala filed a claim against Wendy's after she reported the finger in her chili, but she dropped it after police investigators obtained a search warrant for her home.

Police offered few details about what they called the hoax, however, saying the investigation was still in progress.

One question that remains: Where did the finger come from?

Police said Friday they are still trying to determine the answer, and investigators have concluded that Wendy's was not to blame.

"Thus far, our evidence suggests that the truest victims in this case are indeed the Wendy's owner, operators and employees here in San Jose, who have suffered financially throughout this investigation," Davis said.

Police said the attempted grand theft charge relates to the money that Wendy's lost when business dropped after the episode. The owner of the franchise where the finger was found, Joseph Desmond, called the incident a "nightmare."

"It's been really tough. When I heard of it, I just didn't believe that it could happen, because we have many, many guards against anything like this happening in our business," he said.

Desmond said some of the San Jose employees have had their hours cut back because business has been "down badly" since Ayala reported finding the finger March 22.

He pleaded, "Please come back to Wendy's."

After Ayala reported finding the finger, Wendy's launched an internal investigation, even checking its workers and employees of suppliers to see if anyone had lost a digit. But the company said it found nothing to explain how the finger got in the chili.

The company also offered a $50,000 reward, then doubled it to $100,000. Davis noted that the reward is still in place and urged anyone with information about the incident to contact police.

CNN's Rusty Dornin contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/22/Wendys.hoax/

[tk13]

Fitting that the woman who faked a digit is now wearing digits.

[CosmicPal]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

15,000 employees have been let go or had their hours cut here in northern cali.

That's sad. I hope to dear gawd this azzhat of a woman spends a great deal of time behind bars for this- particularly with her litigious past.