An Appleton, Wis., woman accused of trying to extort money from an upscale restaurant by putting a rat in her meal has entered no-contest pleas to two criminal charges.
Debbie R. Miller, 43, was found guilty after she entered the pleas to a felony extortion charge and a misdemeanor for obstructing police, the Appleton Post-Crescent reported.
Prosecutors say Miller planted the rat in a meal at The Seasons restaurant on April 17, 2008, and then demanded $500,000 from the owners. She threatened to alert the news media. Instead of paying, the owners turned the rat over to investigators for their insurance company. They determined it was a domestic rat that had been cooked in a microwave. The restaurant doesn't use microwaves.
Miller was arrested about three months later. Sentencing is scheduled for March 8.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
