Bethany Storro, a Vancouver woman who gained international media attention for allegedly faking an acid attack, will make her first appearance at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court. She is charged there with three counts of second-degree theft.
Deputy Prosecutor Tony Golik said Friday that Storro has retained Vancouver attorney Andrew Wheeler, who is coincidentally her neighbor.
Storro will not be taken into custody beforehand. Instead, her custody status will be decided by Judge John Nichols at Wednesday’s hearing. Golik said he will recommend to the judge that Storro be placed on supervised release because of the ongoing treatment she’s receiving for her burned face.
“She’s not a flight risk,” Golik said. “I anticipate a book-and-release.” In that procedure, a suspect is photographed and fingerprinted, but not held in custody.
The judge will also set dates for future proceedings.
The 28-year-old deli clerk is accused of burning her face with a caustic substance Aug. 30, then concocting a story about being splashed with acid by a stranger. Her story received widespread publicity, and the community responded, donating nearly $28,000.
According to the charges, she spent part of the money on clothes, dinner and a train ticket before admitting to police that it was a hoax. She said she was trying to either die or get a new face.
The charges carry an aggravating factor of stealing from Samaritans, which could result in an exceptional sentence outside the standard range of three to five months in jail. Storro, 28, has no known criminal history.
According to his law firm’s website, her attorney, Wheeler, 33, has a small law practice and specializes in criminal defense, particularly DUI and domestic violence cases.
The site says he’s handled hundreds of DUI cases in his seven-year law career, and in 2008, he served as lead attorney on the largest breath-test suppression motion in Clark County history. He also serves on the executive board of the Clark County Bar Association.
Attempts to reach Wheeler on Friday afternoon were unsuccessful.
