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A 31-year-old Virginia woman was just arrested for the 63rd time. That’s right. She’s been arrested 63 times.
For her 63rd arrest, Chelsea Eileen Steiniger went big, racking up a total of 21 new charges including identify theft, trading in stolen goods and entering a house to commit assault and battery.
“Her number of arrests exceed those of anyone else that I’ve ever heard of,” Charlottesville attorney Scott Goodman told The Daily Progress.
Transported last month to Albemarle County General District Court to resolve several other criminal cases, Steiniger appeared jovial despite her handcuffs and leg irons standing before Judge Matthew Quatrara. He found her guilty of the Albemarle charges, which included contempt and check larceny, but imposed suspended sentences on most of them. The judge did, however, assign her 30 days on a charge of driving under the influence.
“This is an exceptional outcome that you’re getting,” Judge Quatrara informed Steiniger in a massive understatement.
Steiniger was recently found guilty of the theft of a nurse’s scooter from University of Virginia Medical Center.
She was caught when a police officer saw her steal a sweet tea inside a University of Virginia cafeteria.
The judge in that case “punished” Steiniger by giving her 60 days in jail with all of the time suspended.
Never mind the fact that at the time of her arrest she was out on bail for four counts of drug possession, three counts of forging checks, two counts of bail violation, and one count of failure to appear.
In 2012, she claimed that a man abducted and raped her. The man, Mark Lawrence Weiner, was sent to prison for more than two years only for him to be released after it was determined that Steiniger made up the entire story just to anger a boyfriend.
She was never prosecuted for any crime in relation to that incident.
“I’m happy to see you alive,” Judge Quatrara told her during her latest visit to court.
“When I didn’t see you for a long time, I was concerned that your issues had gotten the best of you and that I was going to read your obituary in the newspaper.”
Steiniger is currently being held at Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville with her next court date scheduled for Jan. 22.