A thief who was released from a New York jail so she could get a heart transplant is back behind bars — possibly for good — after she was caught shoplifting again.
A lawyer for the dying Long Island woman tells Newsday the new arrest has probably cost her any chance of getting a new heart.
Diane McCloud, of Hempstead, was freed by a judge in January after a doctor said she had only six months to live if she didn't get a transplant.
After her release, she got into trouble with the court for continuing to smoke cigarettes. Then she was arrested in July for stealing beauty products from a store in Oceanside.
McCloud pleaded guilty Friday.
Now she has to finish serving her original sentence, plus additional time in the new theft case — if she lives.
Shoplifting Charge Could Nix Heart Transplant
Thief may lose a chance at getting a new heart
Copyright AP - Associated Press