More from the Lawrence Eagle Tribune:
METHUEN — A local handyman said he was banned from The Home Depots across the country for accidentally walking off with a used 41-cent pencil in his pocket.
Store officials won't comment but Michael E. Panorelli, 51, of Lawrence said he was in the Methuen home improvement store Thursday buying some lumber with George Salas, owner of Salas Auto Repair on Lawrence Street in Methuen. Panorelli asked Salas for a pencil to write down some figures.
Salas grabbed the sharpened pencil from a cash register and while the two started loading up $117 worth of lumber, Panorelli says he slipped the pencil into his pocket and forgot all about it.
As the two made their way to the parking lot, Panorelli and Salas say they were stopped by the store's security. The guards accused Panorelli of stealing the pencil, both men said.
"After we pay for everything ... the guy comes outside and stops us and says that we have to go to the office," Salas said. "The guy made a big commotion about a stupid thing. It's ridiculous."
Whisked into a back room, Panorelli was given a written statement accusing him of "the unlawful act of attempting to remove or removing goods or merchandise from one of our stores without paying for it."
The statement provided to The Eagle-Tribune does not identify the merchandise, but Panorelli says it was the pencil. The notice also states he is "forbidden to enter into any and all premises of The Home Depot for a period of one year."
"It's a stupid used pencil," Panorelli said. "I've got a pretty good reputation. I don't cheat anybody. I don't steal from anybody."
Panorelli was given a second document from the store, stating he will receive a letter from The Home Depot's lawyers and civil charges may be taken out against him. The document was signed by Panorelli, the store's assistant manager Daniel Hollaran, and store security guard Scott Jordan.
Panorelli said he was asked to sign a confession that he stole the pencil and he refused.
"I was pretty upset," Panorelli said. "They want to take me to court for half a pencil."
Hollaran refused to comment. He referred all calls to the store's national public relations office, which did not return several calls. Jordan could not be reached for comment.
Yancey Casey, a spokesman for The Home Depot, said he could not comment on the matter until he spoke with the Methuen store manager. He said he learned of the incident from a reporter's phone call Thursday.
A representative at The Home Depot's law firm — Palmer, Reifler and Associates of Orlando, Fla. — said it has not yet received Panorelli's file, but that its lawyers typically determine a civil penalty within six to eight weeks and send a bill to the accused person. Panorelli will then have 20 days to pay whatever losses or damages are demanded by the store.
Salas was with Panorelli because he had hired the handyman to do some work on some windows on his home. Together they were at the store to buy some lumber to make the repairs.
Salas said he was not banned from the store because he was not in possession of the pencil. He also says it doesn't matter because he will never shop at the store again.
"They treated us like we were shoplifting or something like that," Salas said.
Couldn't they talk their clients out of making asses of themselves in less time than that?