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Former Olympian says his career is over after being accused of stealing ham and asparagus from a store

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Meaggan Pettipiece coached college softball at two NCAA Division 1 schools and represented Canada at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

However, a mishap at the supermarket checkout turned her life completely upside down, she says.

Pettipiece, 48, was arrested in Indiana in March on charges of theft, marijuana possession and drug possession following an incident at Walmart. Store security guards claimed she failed to scan $67 worth of items, including asparagus and ham, but scanned $176 worth of other merchandise. She said she was unaware the scanner failed to read the items.

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The Olympic rings ring out in the outfield during softball preliminary rounds as Canada plays Team USA on the second day of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games at the Blacktown Olympic Centre on September 17, 2000. (Doug Pensinger /Allsport)

When police arrived, officers found three disposable e-cigarettes and two unopened packages of anti-nausea medication in her purse, according to The Chicago Tribune. The e-cigarettes did not contain nicotine or THC, and she said the medication did not belong to her.

A few days later, she resigned as head coach of the Valparaiso softball team.

The charges were later dropped, but the headlines about the incident had a lasting impact on her career.

“It's bittersweet,” she told Canada's National Post. “Of course I'm glad the charges were dropped. What's sad is the damage it's done to my career. It's changed everything in my life.”

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A softball glove

Meaggan Pettipiece coached college softball at two NCAA Division 1 schools and represented Canada at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Pettipiece expressed concern to the outlet that her attempt to clear her name would not have the same impact as the incident.

“The difficult thing is how do you make people believe you're innocent? And this damage was done for such a ridiculous reason,” she said.

“I'm not sure about the future. For now, I'm going to stay home and focus on my kids. I want to figure out which direction I'm going to go in.”

Pettipiece has been head coach since 2023. The team never reached 10 wins in either season. She was head coach at Akron and assistant coach at Kent State before taking over at Valparaiso.

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Pettipiece said she would try to become a referee.

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