Friday November 17 8:21 AM ET
Subway Cops Nab French-Fry Offender, 12

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Metro officials in the U.S. capital have had enough of messy eaters breaking no-food rules -- as 12-year-old Ansche Hedgepeth learned when she was arrested at a subway stop for eating french fries.

Metro spokesman Ray Feldman said on Thursday Hedgepeth was an unlucky victim of a weeklong crackdown at a Metro station in northwest Washington and policies that leave police with no middle ground between issuing a warning and arresting young food offenders. The girl was arrested on Oct. 23.

The Metro system, which carries commuters in Washington and its suburbs in Virginia and Maryland, bans eating food on its trains and in its stations.

``Unfortunately on the first day of this special one-week effort, our police officer happened to encounter Ms. Hedgepeth, who was eating french fries. When she was confronted, she admitted (that) ... she knew she shouldn't have been eating them,'' Feldman said.

``Not having the middle option of issuing a citation to her ... the officer took her into custody and took her back to the juvenile facility, called her mom, her mom came and got her and that was that.''

But he said Metro authorities were working with city officials to try to work out a compromise way of dealing with the problem.

``I can't believe there isn't a better way to teach kids a lesson,'' the Washington Post quoted Ansche's mother, Tracey Hedgepeth, as saying. ``My daughter will now grow up knowing she's been in handcuffs. All over a french fry.''

The Post reported that the 12-year-old now must perform community service following her arrest and undergo counseling.