Lawyer Charged in Yogurt Theft; Police Say Evidence Was on Her Nose
A suspended California lawyer who once appeared on Larry King Live has been accused of wandering into a hotel and stealing yogurt from a locked refrigerator.
The lawyer, Patience Nooney Van Zandt of Mill Valley, was charged with burglary, possession of stolen property and vandalism, the Marin Independent Journal reports. Van Zandt once represented John Mark Karr, who claimed he was present at the death of JonBenet Ramsey. The case earned Van Zandt an appearance on Larry King.
The story says the yogurt alleged to have been stolen “included six Yoplaits of unknown variety.” Mill Valley police Capt. Jim Wickham told the publication that Van Zandt “did have evidence of yogurt on her nose.”
California bar records indicate that Van Zandt is not eligible to practice law because of an interim suspension.
Van Zandt’s former law partner, Jamie Harmon, said Van Zandt has been struggling with drug and alcohol addictions since abdominal surgery limited her food consumption. Van Zandt was “probably really hungry and potentially disoriented,” Harmon told the Marin Independent Journal. She said Van Zandt has had “a terribly, terribly difficult time” and “is trying so hard to get straightened up.”
