California maskless woman in store convicted of trespassing

WESTMINSTER » A Southern California woman who refused to wear a mask or leave a grocery store last year was convicted of trespassing and obstructing a business or customers.

The jury found Marianne Campbell Smith guilty on Wednesday and Orange County Superior Court Judge John Zitny sentenced her to 40 hours of community service, a year of informal probation and a $200 fine, the Orange County Register reported.

Smith, 57, was arrested on Aug. 15, 2020, at Mother’s Market in the city of Costa Mesa, where an anti-mask protest against California’s mask mandate to prevent the spread of the coronavirus was happening nearby.

In a statement in court before sentencing, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the case centered on property rights.

Smith said she cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition and her lawyer said she went into the store to get food, not to protest.