Jailed for taking electricity worth 5 cents !

[strat81]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Also, what kind of [censored] do you have to be to arrest somebody over this? A lot of ridiculousness to go around.


How much stealing should we allow until it becomes a crime?

The thief should pay his administrative fine (ticket), pay restitution, and pay court costs. And stop stealing.

 

[KenO]

Originally Posted By: strat81
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Also, what kind of [censored] do you have to be to arrest somebody over this? A lot of ridiculousness to go around.


How much stealing should we allow until it becomes a crime?

The thief should pay his administrative fine (ticket), pay restitution, and pay court costs. And stop stealing.



OK. Do you call the cops if somebody took a roll of tape from your home? Or a stapler off your desk at work? Really man, get your priorities straight

 

[TrevorS]

Does he need to be in jail for 15 hours for this?

Consider that next time you get a traffic fine or take a pen from work for personal use.

 

[TrevorS]

Two things I suspect this man did wrong apart from using the electricity:

1) Owning a Nissan Leaf
2) Looking of foreign appearance

 

[KenO]

Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Two things I suspect this man did wrong apart from using the electricity:

1) Owning a Nissan Leaf
2) Looking of foreign appearance



Nothing wrong with the Leaf, except the Focus electric is a better car, and a better value

 

[TrevorS]

Well that must be it then! The Sergeants name is Ford.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Two things I suspect this man did wrong apart from using the electricity:

1) Owning a Nissan Leaf
2) Looking of foreign appearance


I think sporting an attitude and asking the cop if he had asked for permission before polluting the air with his cruiser when asked if he had permission to use the outlet are ultimately what led to him being jailed. He was a d-bag acting like he was saving the environment and this "polluter cop" was getting in his way of doing so.

 

[TrevorS]

I now expect the same school to report any child who takes home school supplies by accident or not, to the same police officer.

And since he has said "a theft is a theft", and he said he would "absolutely" do it again, Sergeant Ford needs to turn up at the child's home, cuff the child and take them to the station for processing.

 

[TrevorS]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
I think sporting an attitude and asking the cop if he had asked for permission before polluting the air with his cruiser when asked if he had permission to use the outlet are ultimately what led to him being jailed. He was a d-bag acting like he was saving the environment and this "polluter cop" was getting in his way of doing so.


I didn't read that part in the Fox News report.

When did this argument take place and when did the arrest take place?

Has he been charged with arguing with an officer?

 

[javacontour]

So likely someone had to issue an arrest warrant. It's unlikely the cops just said, oh, let's go arrest this guy.

Did the DA file charges? If so, why blame the cops for executing an arrest warrant?

Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Fox are reporting the police arrested him at home 11 days after the incident and he spent 15 hours in jail while being processed.

What did the police sergeant say? You guessed it. "A theft is a theft".

Like I said, any chance of arresting the police for wasting police time?

 

[bigjl]

I didn't think i was imagining it.

 

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Two things I suspect this man did wrong apart from using the electricity:

1) Owning a Nissan Leaf
2) Looking of foreign appearance


Nope, sorry, you are going to have to explain that point

 

[Cutehumor]

I wondered if his Leaf got impounded, he had to pay a tow and storage fee!

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: 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!!


Exactly, if the Leaf owner is being polite and promise not to do it again, he would have walked.

 

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: KenO
It doens't matter what the guy said to the cop. Unless he threatened the officer of physically assaulted the officer, what was said to the officer is irrelevant. The man should have simply been told to unplug his car. In reality, the **** that called the cops is the real moron here. Why is everybody so quick to call police? If there is an issue with something ons chool property, shouldn't school administrators be the first ones to go to? And then shouldn't the schoola dministrators be making the determination if it's right or wrong, and if wrong, then going and asking the man to unplug, and to not do it again? People over react in todays society. I have never once called the police in my entire life, and I hope I don't have to. There's just no reason for it, and there was no justication for calling the police in this instance.


I suspect the reason the Police were called is he may have been asked previously not to charge his car there

As lets be honest. How many think this was his first time trying to get some free electricity.

How many other times and places has he done so

The Leaf has a range of nearly 100 miles on a full charge.

And you think he just happened to "run low" a few miles from home at the same place he found an unused electrical outlet in an out of the way part of the school grounds.

And he also quite by accident happended to have his vehicles adapter that allows use of a normal plug to charge he battery up.

Really.

Are people really gullible enough to think this is the first time he has done it?

 

[TrevorS]

Hold on, some are saying he deserved to get arrested because of his attitude, some are saying the DA got involved and issued a warrant due to the seriousness of the crime.

What was the police officers reason for entering the vehicle? If someone entered your vehicle, wouldn't you ask them why?

Why did they not arrest him on the spot? Because they had to confirm with the school whether he had permission or not. So in the car park, the officer didn't have probable cause. The owner didn't obviously do anything illegal during the encounter because he wasn't arrested on the spot.

And when they arrested him, they did so in a manner to keep him overnight.

Shifting the blame to the owner, to the DA just ignores the fact that the police dealt with this incorrectly. If you like the police over reacting then fine, you might just change your mind when they misbehave with you.

 

[KenO]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: KenO
It doens't matter what the guy said to the cop. Unless he threatened the officer of physically assaulted the officer, what was said to the officer is irrelevant. The man should have simply been told to unplug his car. In reality, the **** that called the cops is the real moron here. Why is everybody so quick to call police? If there is an issue with something ons chool property, shouldn't school administrators be the first ones to go to? And then shouldn't the schoola dministrators be making the determination if it's right or wrong, and if wrong, then going and asking the man to unplug, and to not do it again? People over react in todays society. I have never once called the police in my entire life, and I hope I don't have to. There's just no reason for it, and there was no justication for calling the police in this instance.


I suspect the reason the Police were called is he may have been asked previously not to charge his car there

As lets be honest. How many think this was his first time trying to get some free electricity.

How many other times and places has he done so

The Leaf has a range of nearly 100 miles on a full charge.

And you think he just happened to "run low" a few miles from home at the same place he found an unused electrical outlet in an out of the way part of the school grounds.

And he also quite by accident happended to have his vehicles adapter that allows use of a normal plug to charge he battery up.

Really.

Are people really gullible enough to think this is the first time he has done it?



Actually, the Leaf has a range of about 75-80 miles TOPS, if you're lucky. Atlanta city traffic, heater on, he probably gets a realistic 50-60 miles on a full charge. It's why I haven't purchased one, the realistic range just isn't there yet. Most people with an EV carry a 110v charger with them for emergency purposes - it's incredibly stupid not to. I think you're making some improper generalizations and inferring the man is a criminal because he carries an extension cord for an electric car, in his electric car.....

 

[KenO]

Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Hold on, some are saying he deserved to get arrested because of his attitude, some are saying the DA got involved and issued a warrant due to the seriousness of the crime.

What was the police officers reason for entering the vehicle? If someone entered your vehicle, wouldn't you ask them why?

Why did they not arrest him on the spot? Because they had to confirm with the school whether he had permission or not. So in the car park, the officer didn't have probable cause. The owner didn't obviously do anything illegal during the encounter because he wasn't arrested on the spot.

And when they arrested him, they did so in a manner to keep him overnight.

Shifting the blame to the owner, to the DA just ignores the fact that the police dealt with this incorrectly. If you like the police over reacting then fine, you might just change your mind when they misbehave with you.



Ya, if I were the guy who got arrested, I think I'd absolutely be filing suit for unlawful search & seizure by way of the officer entering the vehicle without the owners permission. This is a [censored] case thrua nd thru. The more I see the stupidity about the guy being a 'criminal' the more I want to side with him regardless. In what world did you people grow up in where you have the right to be arrested for speaking words to a police officer?

 

[KenO]

In reality, i think, if the DA is the one who decided to press charge and go for an arrest warrant, that the DA here is thinking he's going to score points for making an example out of this guy regarding the new wave of EV's coming into use, and their charging habits. I hope he fails miserably.

 

[TrevorS]

Innocent until proven guilty is an important concept.

A citizen called police about the vehicle, not the school.

Police turn up an would have seen a newish vehicle plugged in for Electricity.

So not really abandoned is it?

The tennis instructor tells the owner someone is in his car. If he can see the police officer, the officer can see them and could have asked them if they owned the car BEFORE going into the car without cause.

Some sort of discussion takes place that does not lead to an arrest on the spot. So the police by definition at this point don't have enough information nor has the owner been so difficult with them.

The police turn up 11 days later with a warrant and arrest him. They've established that the owner did not get permission and arrest him in such a way that he spends 15 hours in jail.

Did he take electricity without permission? Yes

Does he think he was doing anything wrong? No which is why he was taking electricity. This is not usually a defense in the eyes of the law but can be if it can be shown such usage is common practice.

Was it right to expend police resources in this way? Up to the taxpayers

Was it right to be cuffed and in jail for this? No