So I'm interested at how many people are saying "well maybe she was donating and dropped something in accidentally", "maybe she had forgotten an item in some clothing and came back later with the ladder to try to retrieve it". Honestly, that's so heartening, to see people trying hard to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I personally think it might be middle ground - she was stealing the items to later donate them to a "worthier" cause in her mind, or to give them away to others and be seen as being generous. It seems beyond debate that she was removing items from the bin that she wasn't entitled to.
But thank you, to the kind hearted folks who want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Encouraging.
Although police reports have said she was stealing the items, they don't have the entire story since Mrs Permar isn't alive to tell it. I at first wondered if she was removing items to distribute to people in need. Whatever she was doing, in her mind she may have been doing a commendable thing. Or, perhaps she wanted others to think so. Or, perhaps she donated items to charities and then felt she was taking things of equal value - in her mind, perhaps, an even swap.
I was initially reminded, though, of an evidently inebriated woman in downtown Cincinnati many years ago who boarded a city bus and was talking very loud. The woman stated clothing items she was wearing she took from GW donation boxes. She also said she wasn't poor, but it was okay for her to take items. She said if anyone else in her situation took them, it would be wrong. :facepalm: She then began expressing her religious views (Again, :facepalm
. She was eventually kicked off of the bus.
Then, I have a former friend (FF) from college who would call me every few years and tell me how poor she and her husband were even after they purchased a new home. After explaining to her my situation (I had gone through voc rehab due to a disability, had just begun working again after going back to college, just moved out of my parents' home and was renting small apartment, and then later returned to college again and was living in gov't subsidized housing as my physical health continued to deteriorate), she would become angry. I guess I understand why after she called me again a few years ago, saying that she and her husband were separated. She was fighting for their house (which they were still paying mortgage on) and took her husband to court for more spousal support so she could pay off her mortgage. For a year FF kept calling me (always asking me to call back so she wouldn't have to pay the phone bill) and kept me on the phone for hours. I sent her packages of basic needs but she would tell me she didn't need any more of those things and started listing things she did need (and was very specific). It was like a treasure hunt for me since I only shopped at dollar and closeout store (I was still living in gov't subsidized housing, lost my job of 12.5 years soon after she made contact with me again, and had medical bills stacking up due to continued deteriorating health - which my job contributed to). FF also made reference to her mortgage on every call and her court case which she continually lost as she appealed and took to the state level until she lost the final appeal and was fined by the court for filing a frivolous lawsuit. I finally sent FF money to pay for a couple of months mortgage plus extra to buy what she needed. Even though I tried to get confirmation from her that she rec'd the package with money, I didn't hear from her for a few months. Then she called in desperation saying that she let her ex have the house and had been living in extended-stay hotels but had been evicted for not paying on time (said her ex's spousal support payment was late), so needed a place to stay. Like a fool, I allowed FF to stay with me and it was a nightmare. She kept saying she couldn't work because of a disability (found out she hadn't been to see a doc in at least 11 years), which is what she had told the courts. Said she had been offered a job in the place she'd been staying but then had to leave town when she lost her housing, and promised me she'd find a job here and then find her own place to stay. Well, while she stayed here (one month), she claimed to be sick and made no effort to find a job. Yet, she had no problem spending hours grocery shopping and cooking. She ate an unbelievable amount of food, too. She was receiving SNAP and claimed she had to spend all by end of year because it doesn't roll over into new year (a coworker told me this is not true), so she wanted to use her remaining SNAP funds to donate food to homeless shelters. After purchasing the food, FF had me (I was home from work, sick from waiting for FF in the lobby of a grocery store for 2 hours in freezing weather) deliver the food to a homeless shelter for her (her car was already full of boxes) and told me to make sure I got a receipt.
So, why would FF need a receipt for donations? Her only income was $500/month from spousal support, so she would not be required to file a tax return. If she did file an itemized tax refund and received a refund from her food donations, wouldn't that be "double-dipping" of sorts, i.e., using gov't (state) money to get money from the gov't (federal)? In order to even justify filing taxes, I believe she had a side job (possibly selling items through an e-bay account). Some if the items she asked me to purchase for her while she was still living in her house were a case of high-quality copy paper and 3 reams of colored paper which she claimed were for her court case. I later found her court case on the Internet and the document (her response to her denial of added spousal support) FF used was only 9 pages in length. For a total of 3 court appearances at the county level and 3 at state level (including appeals), she would not have even used ONE ream of copy paper and why need dividers (which is what she claimed the colored paper was for)! IMO, she may have asked and received these items from multiple people, so she could've made a good profit re-selling these items.
FF was also very religious, but in speech only. When people did for her and gave her what she wanted, she claimed God would bless them and suggested that God was using her to help people get into Heaven. :facepalm: But, she quoted just a few verses from the Bible, taking them out of context and twisted their meaning to form her own doctrine. She didn't even know where to find those verses in the Bible and it became evident when she stayed with me that she wasn't at all familiar with the Bible. On FB, FF posted many "religious" posts that were anti-gov't with conspiracy-theory themes. If someone pointed out that those posts contradicted the Bible, she would either "like" their post or remove it, and then continue posting similar things. Obviously, FF's religious views are what she used to justify immoral behavior.
I do not know Permar's motive for what she did, but I'm sure she rationalized it in some way so didn't think of it as stealing. But, taking the clothing at 2:00 AM suggests she did know what she was doing was illegal and made an effort to hide it. There's no indication she was an alcoholic like the woman on the bus. But, Permar may have had mental issues, i.e., a personality disorder. I feel so sorry for Permar's family because the circumstances surrounding her death are widely publicized. The family may not have been aware of what Mrs Permar was doing, and just want to remember her as a good person and want her remembered that way.
As for having a step ladder convenient, it may have been stored in the Hummer. I am 4'10" - 4'11", with back and knee issues, and have difficulty climbing into an SUV. Since Mrs Permar was short, keeping a step ladder in the Hummer would not be suspicious, IMO.
