Jailed for taking electricity worth 5 cents !

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Isn't he forced to pay taxes? Some of the taxes he is forced to pay goes to the school ...


We're all forced to pay school taxes, even people who don't have children. Maybe people who don't have children but own electric cars should be allowed to charge their cars ahead of everyone else at the school since they paid the taxes and didn't have children use the school system. Or should they be the only people allowed to charge their cars at the schools since they had no kids?

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
So, you guys would be OK with me charging my car using your electricity? Without asking? Public outlets in airports etc., are provided for the convenience of the people who are there.

School outlets aren't the same. What if the school had a gas pump? "Just need a bit of gas to get home boys, mind if I pump it myself?"

Would you be OK if I just reached into your car to help myself to some of your money? If I just reached into your wallet?

Guy took something without permission...that is the definition of theft, isn't it? Small theft, sure, but theft...

It will be interesting to see how the court decides...


+1 Its theft plain and simple.
I don't give a rats rear if its 5c or 5K if its not yours and you take it you deserve to have your thieving backside locked up!

The guy knew this was going to happen sooner or later and bought the electric car anyway, what did he think he was going to do when it ran out? Obviously just go and steal some juice.
Its not different then if he stuck a siphon hose in someone else's tank.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Isn't he forced to pay taxes? Some of the taxes he is forced to pay goes to the school ...


Yep...so, by that reasoning, we can all take a few things from the school since we pay for the school...right? What would you like to take? Some food? A few books? A desk, perhaps?

I pay for firefighters too, but you won't see me helping myself to their gear, or supplies...

 

[Shannow]

Astro, I'm not sure that a red truck with sirens and flashing lights would match your fleet...but you paid for at least a siren or two, why not go and take them ?

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Isn't he forced to pay taxes? Some of the taxes he is forced to pay goes to the school ...

Seriously?
I am a taxpayer. I think I will just go up to City Hall find an official vehicle and siphon some gas because some of my tax money paid for it.

 

[jek388]

Kidding aside, the guy's a poacher. He lives close enough to the school to be within range but opts to plug in there because
he doesn't see the power he's using on his own bill.
It's his own conscious choice and it's stealing.
He's a financial advisor right?

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Isn't he forced to pay taxes? Some of the taxes he is forced to pay goes to the school ...

Seriously?
I am a taxpayer. I think I will just go up to City Hall find an official vehicle and siphon some gas because some of my tax money paid for it.

Maybe that car you're draining gas from has a part or two you need, you paid for it, why not take it? At what point does this twisted logic end?

 

[tomcat27]

The guy believes what he did is fine and sure has a lot of attitude. Why does a school have a charging station? Do they have a fleet of electric cars?

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Astro, I'm not sure that a red truck with sirens and flashing lights would match your fleet...but you paid for at least a siren or two, why not go and take them ?


I was thinking that the fleet needed a fire truck, but the big modern ones just aren't my thing...now, an American-laFrance from the 20s...that would be a worthy addition!

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
The guy believes what he did is fine and sure has a lot of attitude. Why does a school have a charging station? Do they have a fleet of electric cars?


Was it a charging station? Or just an outlet? In some ways, a charging station is worse, because that IS like a gas pump...and what comes out of it isn't free....

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Let me clarify.

My taxes pay for firefighters that go into burning buildings and save lives. My taxes go to police officers that keep us safe. My taxes to go school administrators that pull in > $100K a year and don't contribute a single thing to the education of children.

I know a few people that would plug in block heaters in a school parking lot. They are thieves too.

 

[mrsilv04]

And what is the difference if a guy with a diesel pickup truck pulled around to the back of the school, and took a shot of diesel out of the pump, that they use to refill the busses?

Absolutely none.

 

[bubbatime]

Sounds like a p.o.p charge.

What is a p.o.p. charge, you ask? Pis-sing-off-the-police charge.

I don't think there is one officer in this country that would charge a person for theft for plugging in their car, UNLESS the guy was being a complete and utter jack-off. He was probably running his mouth and the officer taught him a lesson, just because he could. I bet the exchange went like this.

officer: Hey, someone from the school office complained. You cant plug your car in without getting permission first.

perp: Screw you officer. I can do whatever I want. I pay my taxes. This is a free country!!

officer: Actually, it is considered theft and I could take you to jail

perp: Take me to jail then!!

 

[rshaw125]

The article clearly states that was using the car charging station.
He was on the property for his son to take tennis lessons.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
I know a few people that would plug in block heaters in a school parking lot. They are thieves too.


I'm guessing that if a location requires block heaters for their cars and municipalities have gone to the effort of ensuring power outlets are in the appropriate locations... it's not stealing, it's taking advantage of a public service.

Plugging in your Leaf in the south is a completely different situation.

 

[rshaw125]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I know a few people that would plug in block heaters in a school parking lot. They are thieves too.


I'm guessing that if a location requires block heaters for their cars and municipalities have gone to the effort of ensuring power outlets are in the appropriate locations... it's not stealing, it's taking advantage of a public service.

Plugging in your Leaf in the south is a completely different situation.



I disagree. I thought a proliferation of car charging stations, that's what he was using, was to encourage the use of electric vehicles.
I thought that was the long term goal?

 

[InhalingBullets]

A thief is a liar and a liar is a thief! Obviously this isn't his first charge "free of charge".

If your neighbor plugged in his electric car into your home's power every Saturday or Sunday you wouldn't take issue with it?
Now the school district will have to buy signs (with public money no less) that say that the "electrical power is not for public use"!

 

[The_Jeff]

Playing devil's advocate, some municipalities and quasi-government organizations have offered free EV charging paid for through some slush fund in an attempt to curry carbon credits or whatever. (link) It would be a matter of signage declaring what could and could not be done with the outlet and for whom. McDonald's has "No trespassing" signs and locked gates around their grease pits to keep hippies from stealing grease for their 30 years old mercedes diesels; did this school dept do anything nearly as obvious?

The officer's investigative techniques leave something to be desired, rifling through the car to find the owner instead of just running its plates.

As for the tennis courts, they probably wrote into the bond twenty years ago when building the school that the public could use the courts (playground, basketball hoops, parking lot etc) during off-school hours for recreation as a way to gain favor with voters and taxpayers who don't have children.

 

[rshaw125]

One more time. This was a charging station.

Many municipalities install them to encourage purchases of electric cars.

 

[Eddie]

+1 Astro14. We might not be so forgiving if we woke up to find someone charging their vehicle from our garage outlet or siphoning gas from our vehicle to "get home"