A former Olympic athlete’s life has been “a nightmare” since she says she accidentally forgot to scan two items at a self-checkout machine, leading to her arrest and the loss of her prestigious job as an NCAA Division 1 softball coach.

Meaggan Pettipiece, 48, was head coach of the Valparaiso University softball team when she According to the National Post, she was scanning her groceries at a Walmart self-checkout machine in Indiana on March 28.

According to reports, the machine did not scan the asparagus and ham, the Petticoat intended for purchase.

Walmart security noticed that she had not scanned the items – totaling $67 – and called the police, even though she had paid $176 for her other groceries.

Pettipiece, who said she did not know the machine was not reading the mail, was arrested.

When she was arrested, police found three disposable vaporizers and two unopened blister packs of the anti-nausea medication Zofran in her handbag.

The former softball player, who played in the outfield for the Canadian national team at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, was charged with theft, marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance, the outlet reported.

Pettipiece resigned as head coach of the Valparaiso softball team on April 1 after her arrest in the state of Indiana made headlines.

The Ontario native said the vaporizers contain neither nicotine nor THC.

The anti-nausea pills belonged to an assistant coach who had asked Pettipiece to keep them in her purse during a softball game a few days before her arrest.

“We had forgotten about them both,” the former All-American softball player told the outlet.

Earlier this month, Pettipiece’s lawyer filed a motion to dismiss that included her account of the incident, proof of her assistant’s prescription and character references, the newspaper said.

After reviewing the application, judicial officials dropped the charges against the former athlete on September 19.

However, the damage caused by the incident “changed everything” for Pettipiece’s career.

“It’s bittersweet,” she told the National Post. “Of course I’m glad the charges were dropped. The sad thing is the damage it’s done to my career. It’s changed everything in my life.”

Pettipiece said her resignation as head coach of the Division 1 softball program five months ago was “a real nightmare.”

“I lost my career, I lost my job, the life I had built, and it was really difficult,” Pettipiece said.

The graduates of the California University of Pennsylvania said that not only their careers but also their reputations had been heartbreakingly damaged.

“The softball community is a close-knit group and it (the news) spread like wildfire,” Pettipiece told the outlet.

“You really learn who the people are who truly believe in you, trust you and are truly a friend to you,” Pettipiece said.

Pettipiece now lives with her family in Ohio.

“I’m glad my family is back together. We made sacrifices as a family so that I could work there as a coach and continue my coaching career,” she said.

Although the charges against her have been dropped, she still fears that the damage is “irreparable.”

“The difficult thing is, how do you make people believe you’re innocent? And this damage was done for something so ridiculous,” Pettipiece told the outlet.

“I’m not sure about the future. Right now I’m staying home and focusing on my kids. I want to figure out what direction I’m going to go in.”