In wurst case, German sausage seller prepared to go to jail

FILE - In this April 25, 2016 file photo Christina Wagner sells sausages through a fence next to the Autobahn near the town of Rodaborn. Authorities refused to give Wagner a permit to operate at the site, so she operates on an adjacent lot and passes sausages through the fence. German news agency dpa reported Thursday, June 15, 2017 that authorities are now threatening to issue Wagner with fines until she stops selling sausages at the site. (Andreas Hummel/dpa via AP, file)

FILE - In this April 25, 2016 file photo Christina Wagner sells sausages through a fence next to the Autobahn near the town of Rodaborn. Authorities refused to give Wagner a permit to operate at the site, so she operates on an adjacent lot and passes sausages through the fence. German news agency dpa reported Thursday, June 15, 2017 that authorities are now threatening to issue Wagner with fines until she stops selling sausages at the site. (Andreas Hummel/dpa via AP, file)

BERLIN (AP) — A German snack bar owner is preparing for the worst — or is it wurst — in a spat with authorities over the sale of sausages at a highway rest stop.

Christina Wagner has been battling to sell bratwursts by the Autobahn near the town of Rodaborn for years.

Authorities refused to give Wagner a permit to operate at the site, so she passes sausages to her customers through a fence from an adjacent lot.

The case has made her a local celebrity and thousands of people have signed a petition in her support.

German news agency dpa reported Thursday that authorities in Thuringia state are now threatening to issue Wagner with fines until she stops selling sausages.

But Wagner says she’d rather go to prison than pay.