Mom Takes Infant Along With Her to Rob Candy Store - Christine Ruther

Now here's one mug shot you're not likely to forget anytime soon! That's Christine Ruther, 19, of Green Township (we're assuming Ohio because the story is from the Cincinnati Enquirer) who was arrested along with three other people for the robbery of a local candy store. But that's not her only crime: apparently Ms. Ruther took her 7-wee-old daughter with her on the crime spree and, according to cops, used the baby's stroller to haul away some of her loot. And when we say loot in this case we are actually referring to stolen candy, not cash. The thieves were ultimately caught when--I'm not making this up!--cops followed a trail of candy and empty wrappers. Are we really that far from the movie "Idiocracy" coming true? At right, Christine Ruther's mug shot picture. Here's more from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Police said Ruther had her 7-week-old daughter with her. Ruther told police she and her baby accompanied three people to the break-in and watched. She also told officers they used the baby stroller to transport the candy.

Ruther was charged with child endangering and breaking and entering. Also charged with breaking and entering were Terrance Ware, 18, of Northside; Rebecca Gamble, 18, of Blue Ash; and Dwight Reed, 22, of Walnut Hills.

Leslie Betts, manager of the 103-year-old family candy distributing business, said the quartet stole every kind of candy imaginable: “Reece cups, Skittles, Twizzlers, you name it.”

She said she learned of the break-in when Cincinnati police called her at home about 1:30 a.m.

“You’ve been broken into,” she said they told her. “We’re guarding the Swedish fish. Hurry. Come down. We can’t leave the store. It’s wide open.”

Cincinnati police also called Ruther’s mother, Amy Ruther, and asked her to come pick up the baby at District 1 police headquarters in the West End, Amy Ruther said in a phone interview.

She said she was shocked and upset over her daughter’s arrest – and that she would have the baby, Madison, with her.

“She has some problems and we have been trying to help her for a long time through doctors,” Amy Ruther said of her daughter. “When someone is that age you can’t force them to do anything. People shouldn’t make fun of the situation when they don’t know the facts. She is a good person.”

She said Christine and the baby live with her and her husband but they haven’t been able to reach Christine this week.

Amy Ruther said she doesn’t think the break-in was planned because the baby was with her daughter.