The shoplifting case involving state Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi will return to court Tuesday for the first time since she pleaded not guilty last month to trying to steal about $2,500 worth of clothing from a Neiman Marcus store in San Francisco.
Hayashi, D-Hayward, was arrested on Oct. 25 after a security officer at the Union Square store stopped her because she was leaving the store with three items worth $2,445 that she hadn’t paid for, prosecutors said.
The 45-year-old assemblywoman pleaded not guilty to a felony grand theft charge on Oct. 27 and was released on $15,000 bail.
Hayashi’s spokesman Sam Singer said the incident was “a mistake and misunderstanding,” saying that she carries two cellphones and was texting and phoning with a bag in her hands and inadvertently stepped outdoors.
The case is returning to San Francisco Superior Court Tuesday to set a date for a preliminary hearing.
Hayashi was elected in 2006 to represent the 18th Assembly District, which includes Hayward, Castro Valley, Dublin and Pleasanton. She is a member of the leadership team for Assembly Speaker John Perez, serving as chair of the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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