For some people in certain moments, the popular axiom should be amended: if at first you don’t succeed, stop before you make the situation worse. Tiffany Flenaugh could’ve used that advice. In October 2018, she was arrested for assault and weapons misconduct after she pulled out a handgun during a dispute at a bar. But last November, she was jailed on a new set of charges: felony theft, evidence tampering, violating conditions of release, and possessing a firearm in a courthouse.

These all stemmed from an ill-fated attempt to prevent her original prosecution by stealing the pistol she’d previously brandished, which was being held as evidence in her trial. According to witnesses, Flenaugh waited for a break in the trial, then opened the evidence box in the courtroom, in full view of the prosecutor and a court clerk, who both commanded her to stop.

When the prosecution confirmed that the gun was missing, they alerted the authorities. Flenaugh was arrested as she attempted to re-enter the courtroom to continue the trial, and state troopers eventually found the pistol that she’d attempted to hide in the snow. Given her recent guilty plea, it’s fair to say Flenaugh is no longer sticking to her guns.

Possible Preaching Angle: God's people must be humble enough to admit their wrongdoing and change course; if they continue in it, they will only reap more trouble and heartache.

Source: Associated Press, “Woman on trial charged with stealing evidence--her own gun,” SFGate.com (11-20-19)