A teen who flipped the bird at a Miami-Dade judge after laughing her way through a court hearing was back in the halls of justice Wednesday in a quieter, somber mood.
A day earlier, 18-year-old Penelope Soto appeared animated and agitated as she ticked off a judge during a bond hearing. After telling the judge "adios," shooting the bird and saying the f-word, Soto found herself in contempt of court and sentenced to 30 days in the slammer.
Soto appeared in drug court Wednesday, where a different judge, Jeffrey Rosinek, told her she would be released once she served the contempt sentence and that her case would be dismissed with the completion of a drug program.
She answered questions softly, with no mouth-off moments.
Soto had been charged with 26 counts of Xanax possession. It was her first criminal offense.
Appearing earlier this week in front of Circuit Court Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat, she acted as if her bond hearing were a big joke.
You just made me laugh," Soto told the judge after he asked how much her jewelry was worth.
Her bond, set at $5,000, then was raised to $10,000 after she laughed and said, "Adios" to the judge.
"Are you serious?" she asked, mouth open, eyes wide.
As she walked away, she flipped the bird and told the judge to "f---" himself.
Rodriguez-Chomat, who had heard enough, called her back to the stand -- then sentenced her to 30 days in the county jail.
Copyright 2013 - The Miami Herald
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
