Californian finds a slap-up way to quit smoking

Etta Mae Lopez, 31, is kicking her habit by slapping a Sacramento Sheriff’s deputy (AP)

Most people would just buy nicotine patches or maybe a Paul McKenna tape, but one California woman took a more dramatic approach to quit smoking.

Etta Mae Lopez, 31, is kicking her habit by slapping a Sacramento Sheriff’s deputy – in a bid to be sent to jail, where tobacco is forbidden. On Thursday, she got her wish: a 63-day prison sentence, for misdemeanour battery on a peace officer.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Lopez loitered outside a city jail for most of last Tuesday, waiting for a uniformed officer. Her unlucky victim was Deputy Matt Campoy, who exited the building at the end of his shift, only to be struck in the face by Lopez, who informed him of her motives.