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Lindsey Staymates, 20, of Westminster, talks to Deputy First Class Rob Parker of Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office near Salisbury University. Staymates’ appearance on the MTV show “Busted” garnered her the dubious distinction of “Miss Busted 2008.” ((Photo courtesy MTV))
Lindsey Staymates of Westminster was just "walking on the feet" to the "hungry store."

But she wound up on MTV with a ticket from police. Now, she's Miss Busted 2008.

"I actually don't regret it all," said Staymates, 20, a sophomore at Salisbury University. "I just see it as another life event."

Staymates received nationwide attention for her comical, yet eye-opening, appearance on the MTV show "Busted." The show is a sort of "Cops" for a younger generation, featuring footage of crimes committed by 17- to 25-year-olds and the consequences they face. In Staymates case, she says she was starving on May 11 after a night of drinking and headed to Hardee's. But after being previously cited for driving under the influence, she decided to jog to Hardee's.

That's when Deputy First Class Rob Parker of the Wicomico Sheriff's Office -- and an MTV crew -- spotted her.

The deputy performed a preliminary breath test, and Staymates blew a .16, twice the legal limit if you're 21. (The legal limit for people under 21 in Maryland is .00.)

But Staymates didn't see what was wrong with jogging to Hardee's, even if she was drunk.

"I was walking ... on the feet!" she told Parker in a plea that started her 15 minutes of fame. "I was hungry! ... I'm like, 'I'm walking to the ... hungry store!' "

Today, in retrospect, Staymates said she wasn't sure what would come out of the episode, mostly because she's not sure what happened.

"I didn't have any idea of what I said," she admits.

But suddenly, people recognized the Westminster High School graduate at Salisbury -- and back home in Westminster.

Fellow Westminster High graduate Jon Cox said he was in tears laughing so hard at Staymates' "hungry store" and "walking on the feet" lines when he watched on TV.

"To be quite honest, it took me a couple glances ... to recognize her," said Cox in a Facebook message. "At first I thought I knew her, but what were the chances of seeing someone I went to high school with on ... 'Busted?' "

The segment, called "Munchie Run," has garnered more than 30,000 views on MTV's Web site.

In New York's Times Square, Staymates recently attended "Busted Live: Countdown to Lockdown," a show that invited back "Busted" alumni. There she got a new scare: her episode on the giant screen at Times Square.

She said she didn't mind the attention at first because she doesn't have any "haters," but just about every day, someone repeats back her famous lines.

"Now, it's starting to get a little annoying, but I'm trying to be nice," she said.

Lesson learned?

The infamy has lingered. Just last month MTV named Staymates as "Miss Busted 2008."

Staymates acknowledges that she has to face the consequences of underage drinking and her public image. Her citation was dropped by the courts, but she is on probation for her DUI charge.

Those incidents served as a wake-up call, she said, and her Oct. 25 appearance on the "Busted" countdown gave her a chance at redemption.

In a follow-up interview on the August show (for which MTV paid an unspecified amount), Staymates admitted that she finished the spring semester with a 1.0 grade-point average.

Since then, she has improved to a 3.0 GPA, she said on the countdown show.

"I'm happy I got to put myself out there, and enjoyed that I was able to go on live TV and let everyone know that was a one-semester thing," she said.

She has the opportunity for more improvement -- talks with MTV are continuing, with another appearance likely on a "Busted" reunion show.

"I love it. I have no regrets, nothing." she said.

"I'm trying to take a step further from it," she added. "Every time MTV calls me, I have an opportunity."

Watch "Munchie Run"

Click here to see Lindsey Staymates' infamous "Munchie Run."


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