POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The South Florida woman accused of stealing items from the recently removed memorial at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has bonded out of jail.
7News cameras rolled as 40-year-old Kara O’Neil prepared to walk out of the North Broward Bureau, a jail in Pompano Beach, Wednesday night.
Another woman was then seen covering O’Neil with a jacket as they walked outside.
According to investigators, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested O’Neil and 37-year-old Michael Kennedy after witnesses spotted them removing items from the memorial site in front of the Parkland school, where the Feb. 14 mass shooting claimed the lives of 17 people.
Moments after she walked out of jail, O’Neil spoke to 7News about Sunday night’s incident. “We were going to build a memorial in a tree because, well, we were drunk,” she said.
Authorities said among the items the duo stole were teddy bears, plaques, signed poster boards and pinwheels.
But O’Neil said the charges she’s facing are simply not accurate. “Innocent,” she said.
Volunteers removed all of the items on the memorial site on Wednesday. They were placed in cardboard boxes and taken to Florida Atlantic University to be stored in a climate controlled facility.
Kennedy remains behind bars on $1,000 bond.
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