Woman in Wendy's finger case facing charges

SAN FRANCISCO - A Las Vegas woman arrested after saying she found a human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili told a court on Tuesday that she will not fight extradition to California where the incident occurred.

Anna Ayala attracted nationwide media attention after she said last month that she bit into a finger in a bowl of chili served at a San Jose, California restaurant of the third largest US hamburger chain.

Ayala has been charged with attempted grand theft for the millions of dollars Wendy's lost as a result of the negative publicity. Police believe she planted the finger in her food.

Ayala, 39, waived extradition on Tuesday in a Las Vegas court, said David Boyd, the deputy Santa Clara County district attorney handling her case.

San Jose police are now ready to travel to Las Vegas to return Ayala to California, he said. "She'll be arraigned here in Santa Clara County sometime after she arrives," Boyd said.

Ayala has said she did not plant the finger in the chili.

The origins of the finger remain a mystery. Boyd declined to comment on the San Jose police investigation into the matter.

None of the employees at the Wendy's where Ayala dined are missing digits, and Wendy's International Inc. has said its suppliers have ruled out industrial accidents as potential sources for the finger.

Ayala's attorney said she was ready to face the charges in California. Ayala is also suspected of bilking a San Jose area woman out of $11,000.

- REUTERS