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進入《中英對照讀新聞》Woman Named Butts Charged With Theft of Court’s Toilet Paper 「屁股女士」被控偷法院衛生紙
◎ 陳成良
An Iowa woman called Butts faces up to three years in jail - for stealing toilet paper from a courthouse.
愛荷華州一名叫巴茲（Butts，「屁股」俗稱）的婦女，面臨3年牢獄之災─因為她竊取法院的衛生紙。
Police say Suzanne Marie Butts , 38, was caught red-handed stealing three rolls of toilet paper from the Marshall County Courthouse.
警方說，38歲的蘇珊．瑪麗．巴茲在馬歇爾郡法院偷竊3捲衛生紙時，當場被逮個正著。
"She’s facing potentially three years of incarceration for three rolls of toilet paper," Chief Lon Walker said, stifling a laugh as he talked about the case. "See, I can’t say it with a straight face."
「她可能因偷竊3捲衛生紙而坐牢3年，」警察局長沃克談及此案時，快忍不住笑出聲。「你看，我根本無法正經八百的說明。」
Workers had noticed the rolls disappearing from the courthouse much faster than usual, Walker said.
工作人員早就注意到法院捲筒衛生紙消失的速度比平常快了許多，沃克說。
Butts insisted it was the first time she’d pilfered toilet paper, but she declined to answer further questions on her attorney’s advice.
巴茲堅稱這是她第一次偷衛生紙，但在律師建議下，拒絕回答進一步的問題。
The fifth-degree theft charge, a misdemeanor, normally carries a sentence of less than a year in jail. But Butts could face more time if convicted under the state’s habitual offender law because she has prior theft convictions.
（巴茲被控）屬於行為不檢的5級偷竊罪，通常刑期不超過1年。但是，她有盜竊前科，如依據該州的慣犯法定罪，可能面臨更長的刑期。
新聞辭典
catch sb red-handed：當場逮到某人（做壞事）。red-handed是指「雙手都是紅色的」，暗喻「兇手手上仍然染著血」。例句：Josh was caught red-handed stealing candy from the convenience store.（喬許在便利商店偷糖果時，被當場捉到。）
straight face：正經八百的樣子。遇到令人高興的事時，卻拉直了臉忍住不笑，就是keep a straight face。
habitual：形容詞，習慣性的、積習難改的。a habitual liar是「習慣說謊的人」。
