When I was sixteen-years old, shortly after I got my driver’s license, I had a bizarre minor accident. I was pulling into a parking space at a strip mall to get my haircut when suddenly, my car sped up, jumped the curb, and hit the shopping center’s façade. To this day, I don’t know what exactly happened. My guess is that my foot slipped off the brake and briefly punched the accelerator. I was fortunate in a couple of ways: 1) I was parking in front of a frozen yogurt shop that had tables outside. Nobody was sitting at the one table I hit and 2) the window of the store front did not go all the way to the ground, so I hit the brick wall below it, rather than crashing right through the window. Overall, all that really happened was that I broke a side mirror and sent a table, chairs, and a garbage can flying. I was scared and embarrassed, but didn’t get in trouble. I can’t say the same for a woman in Nevada last week, who intentionally smashed her motorhome through the entrance of the Cannery Casino & Hotel.
Now, when one imagines someone plowing a large vehicle into a casino, one might think that it is part of some heist. But this isn’t a movie. 50-year old Jennifer Stitt was kicked out of the Cannery, located in North Las Vegas, on Friday morning. Stitt, who appears to be from California based on the license plate of her motorhome shown in Associated Press photos, then returned and rammed her vehicle right through the front door.
According to North Las Vegas Police spokesman Eric Leavitt, Stitt was ejected from the property for disorderly conduct, though no specifics were given as to her behavior. If I were to put forth a guess, I would say she got drunk and started complaining very loudly about her losing session. Just a guess, though.
Leavitt said that despite being asked to leave by casino staff Stitt, refused. At that point, she was told she would get charged with trespassing.
I guess she decided to go big with the trespassing charge.
Unlike when I got fortunate and avoided making contact with anybody, Stitt, not only created a new entrance to the Cannery, but also hit a 66-year old custodial worker who was standing outside.
“He looked up and said, ‘you’re hitting me!’” Leavitt said. “And she continued to accelerate at him, actually running him over. She knew fully well what she was doing.”
Unfortunately, the custodian suffered critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Fortunately, he is expected to survive. The actual extent of his injuries was not disclosed.
In the meantime, Stitt continued to step on the gas even as her motorhome was lodged in the Cannery’s entrance. Casino employees had to drag her out of the vehicle to get her to stop. Stitt was placed under arrest and could face attempted murder charges.
