After Chili Reception, Claimant is Fingered by Police

Shocked, shocked I am to see it all come to this. If we can't believe the claims of a woman with a lengthy record of filing ridiculous legal claims against various companies, what can we believe? Not the San Francisco Chronicle, usually, but in this case, perhaps we can safely give them the benefit of the doubt:

Anna Ayala, the Las Vegas woman who claimed to have bitten into a severed finger at a San Jose Wendy's restaurant, was arrested Thursday night in connection with the case, San Jose police said.

San Jose police spokesman Enrique Garcia said Ayala, 39, was arrested, but he declined to provide further details.

"We've arrested her in connection with the Wendy's investigation. She's currently in custody" in Las Vegas, said Garcia late Thursday night.

Police did not say on what charges Ayala was arrested. A press conference is scheduled at the San Jose Police Department at 1 p.m. today to discuss details about the arrest, Garcia said.

A Clark County Detention Center official said Ayala was booked Thursday night as a fugitive from San Jose.

Family friend Ken Bono said officers raided the home around 9 p.m. and caught Ayala alone as she was watching "Meet the Fockers" on video.

"I had just left to get some soda at the store, and when I came back she was gone and there were cars from the (Las Vegas and San Jose) police," said Bono, 23, who lives with Ayala. "They said it for grand theft or something."

Bono said Ayala is innocent and eventually will be exonerated. He said she has been unfairly targeted by the police and Wendy's International Inc.

"They don't got jack s -- . They got her for something she didn't do. It's just something Wendy's is trying to do to her," Bono said.

Update: The Smoking Gun has the mugshot and arrest-related press release from the San Jose Police Department.

Update 2: We can all rest easily once again.