Fla. woman apologizes for flipping off judge

Woman flips off judge: In this image taken from video from the Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Penelope Soto, right, reacts after Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat, left, raised her bond from $5,000 to $10,000. Soto flipped him off and blurted an expletive as she walked away. Rodriguez-Chomat summoned her back and sentenced her to 30 days in jail on contempt charges. IMAGE

AP Photo: Miami Dade Circuit Court. Woman flips off judge: In this image taken from video from the Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Penelope Soto, right, reacts after Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat, left, raised her bond from $5,000 to $10,000. Soto flipped him off and blurted an expletive as she walked away. Rodriguez-Chomat summoned her back and sentenced her to 30 days in jail on contempt charges. IMAGE

2/8/13

The judge told the woman the episode should be a lesson in how to treat people.

MIAMI — A Miami woman has apologized for flipping off a judge, who then dropped contempt charges and vacated her 30-day jail term.

Eighteen-year-old Penelope Soto admitted Friday she was under the influence of Xanax and alcohol when she made the obscene middle-finger gesture and rude comments to Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat earlier this week. Video of the confrontation quickly went viral.

Video: Woman flips off judge

Soto tearfully apologized to the judge, who said the episode should be a lesson in how to properly treat people. Rodriguez-Chomat said Soto would have been a convicted felon if he allowed the contempt charge to stand.

Her lawyer said Soto will complete a drug court program. That includes treatment for drug addiction and usually results in charges eventually being dropped for first-time offenders.

——

MSN News on Facebook and Twitter

Stay up to date on breaking news and current events.

Friend us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/news.msn

O.J. Simpson was back in court recently to try to overturn a 2008 armed robbery conviction. Here are other famous people who have spent time behind bars.

A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground. Because wind is invisible, it is hard to see a tornado unless it forms a condensation funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris. Tornadoes are the most violent of all atmospheric storms.