First mask related criminal conviction in Orange County

Yesterday, a jury found a registered nurse from San Juan Capistrano, guilty of misdemeanor trespassing and obstructing a business or its customers. The woman refused to wear a mask or leave a Costa Mesa supermarket. This is the first mask related criminal conviction in Orange County.

The jury found Marianne Campbell Smith guilty on Wednesday. Orange County Superior Court Judge John Zitny sentenced her to 40 hours of community service, a year of informal probation and a $200 fine and imposed a stay away order from the market

According to the Los Angeles Times, "Smith is married to a sixth-generation heir of the Irvine development family."

"The jury took roughly an hour Wednesday afternoon to decide the case, which not only focused on the rights of a private business to enforce its policies but also on whether Smith’s refusal to wear a mask inside the store or leave was intended to interfere with and obstruct the business."

“I’m innocent,” Smith said as she walked out of the courthouse. “Even though the verdict was guilty, I committed no crimes except to be able to breathe oxygen. I have a medical disability, and it was not honored at Mother’s Market that day.”