Wis. woman pleads no contest in rat in meal scheme

[January 27, 2010]  APPLETON, Wis. (AP) -- An Appleton woman who tried to extort money from an upscale restaurant by putting a rat in her lunch has entered no-contest pleas to two criminal charges.

The Appleton Post-Crescent reported 43-year-old Debbie R. Miller was found guilty after she entered the pleas to a felony extortion charge and a misdemeanor for obstructing police.

Prosecutors said Miller planted the rat at The Seasons on April 17, 2008, and then demanded $500,000 from the owners. She threatened to alert the media.

Instead of paying, the owners turned the rat over to investigators for their insurance company. They determined it was a domestic rat that had been cooked in a microwave.

The restaurant doesn't use microwaves. Miller was arrested about three months later.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 8.

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Information from: The Post-Crescent, http://www.postcrescent.com/

[Associated Press]

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