Man facing seven years in prison after theft worth $0.43

Joseph Sobolewski is currently facing a felony based on Pennsylvania's three-strike law.
Stack of coins on wooden table
Stack of coins on wooden table Photo credit Getty Images

Pennsylvania man Joseph Sobolewski is currently facing felony charges and a prison sentence of up to seven years behind bars after his involvement at a theft at a convenience store.

Apparently, Sobolewski shorted the store $0.43 for a soda.

Evidently, Sobolewski noticed a sign in the store advertising 20-ounce Mountain Dew bottles, two for $3.00. He picked one up, placed $2.00 on the counter, and walked out.

Unfortunately for him, you needed to buy two sodas to get the discount, and since he only purchased a single bottle, worth $2.29 and not $1.50, he'd actually shorted the store 29 cents plus tax, or 43 cents in total.

The store called the police and Sobolewski was tracked down, and because of Pennsylvania's three-strike law, Sobolewski was actually charged with a felony, and was locked up on a $50,000 cash-only bond. For theft worth $0.43.

Sobolewski currently faces three to seven years behind bars for the theft.

There is some hope for him, however.

According to the Pennsylvania Daily Voice, since Sobolewski left $2.00 on the counter, prosecutors will have to prove that the whole incident wasn't just a giant misunderstanding, and that he intentionally deprived the store of 43 cents.

Sobolewski's first conviction came more than a decade ago for stealing a tank of gas, and his second was in 2011, when he stole a $40 pair of shoes from K-Mart.

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