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North Charleston man facing federal charges over $.89 drink refill
Live5 WCSC ^ | 04/17/2014 | Sujata Jain

Posted on 04/17/2014 10:15:35 AM PDT by Rusty0604

A North Charleston man was hit with a federal fine for refilling his drink without paying. The on-site construction worker says he didn't know refills at the VA Medical Center in downtown Charleston came at a price, and Wednesday, during his lunch hour, he was slapped with federal charges.

The ticket was issued by the Federal Police Force at the VA Medical Center in downtown Charleston after Christopher Lewis refilled his soda without paying the $0.89. A hospital spokesperson called it a "theft of government property."

"Every time I look at the ticket, it's unbelievable to me,” says Lewis, who works construction. “I can't fathom the fact that I made a $0.89 mistake that cost me $525."

Lewis is now out of a job.

(Excerpt) Read more at live5news.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: crime; southcarolina
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To: Red Badger

“Well, the $525 fine made the government $499.11 in profit.................”

A local Highway patrolman said he writes 300 tickets a day at a wide spot in the road where it goes suddenly from 60mph to 35 mph. A developer told me the county code enforcement office, which staffed up for the housing bubble, hasn’t laid a soul off. The boss told them, “if you want to keep your jobs go out there and write fines.” So, he said they write him $3,000 in fines for every $100,000 in building value. He just prices it in.

Government at all levels has become a sucking leech.


21 posted on 04/17/2014 10:33:19 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: Rusty0604

This is “Bridge on the River Kwai” style LUNACY.
To charge and FIRE someone over .89 (I KNOW, I KNOW, it isn’t the amount, it is the intent).

NOW, if this isn’t/wasn’t the first time, ‘they’ may be onto something......

Granted, if not sure, I will ALWAYS ask - even if I may THINK the refill is free, I will basically ask an employee if ‘the refills are still free’.
This is basically the ‘Sister Mary _____’ or ‘Allen Funt’ rule,

treat life like there is either a Nun or Allen Funt looking over your shoulder.

And ‘they’ say “Jewish Mothers” get (and leave a lasting impression) into ones mind.....


22 posted on 04/17/2014 10:35:12 AM PDT by xrmusn ((6/98 --"I would agree with you BUT that would make both of us wrong".))
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To: Gen.Blather
Government at all levels has become a sucking leech.

It always has been. That's why we fought a Revolution...................

23 posted on 04/17/2014 10:36:06 AM PDT by Red Badger (LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
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To: olepap

So he should have just taken all this and not said anything?
You suggest to just stay pleasant and low key when being treated unjustly?

“As I was filling my cup up, I turned to walk off and a fella grabbed me by the arm and asked me was I going to pay for that, and I told him I wasn’t aware that I had to pay for that.”

Lewis says he tried to pay the $0.89 right there, but wasn’t allowed to. He says he wasn’t given the chance to pay the cashier either.

“I never had an option to make right what I had done wrong.”

He says he was taken to a room, given the $525 ticket for shoplifting and told not to return to the property.

A hospital spokesperson says it was her understanding that Lewis was aggressive during the confrontation.”


24 posted on 04/17/2014 10:38:26 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Gene Eric

As soon as Washington leftists put down our monies and put up their hands will I worry about this sort of thing.


25 posted on 04/17/2014 10:39:37 AM PDT by Chickensoup (Leftist totalitarian fascism is on the move.)
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To: Rusty0604
A hospital spokesperson says it was her understanding that Lewis was aggressive during the confrontation.

For Crissake, how nebulous is that claim? That's like "I heard it via my brother's wife's sister's uncle."

26 posted on 04/17/2014 10:39:46 AM PDT by Oatka (This is America. Assimilate or evaporate.)
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To: GraceG
Ignorance of the law is no excuse

Unless you are passing the law. Then you have to pass it to find out what's in it.

27 posted on 04/17/2014 10:41:01 AM PDT by Starstruck (If my reply offends, you probably don't understand sarcasm or criticism...or do.)
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To: Starstruck

and even then, you have already exempted yourself from said law.


28 posted on 04/17/2014 10:45:49 AM PDT by cableguymn (It's time for a second political party.)
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To: prisoner6
We are ALL CRIMINALS now.

Sinner, yes. Criminal, no. I haven't taken shamelessly stealing a refill from Mickey Dee's or Arby's as a right granted by the Constitution. This guy is just amazed that the VA would consider it brazen theft.

29 posted on 04/17/2014 10:46:02 AM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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To: Rusty0604

Everyone is guilty.

The government just gets to decide how they want to persecute you.


30 posted on 04/17/2014 10:46:07 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Mohammed was a Child Rapist and Islam is a Totalitarian Death Cult.)
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To: Rusty0604

I followed the links from the VA site below

http://www.charleston.va.gov/visitors/canteen.asp

to the VA Canteen Service (VC) on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/VACanteenService

I encourage leaving feedback if you have an anonymized account...or otherwise don’t have a problem with criticizing government on Facebook...


31 posted on 04/17/2014 10:46:33 AM PDT by logi_cal869
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To: Gen.Blather
A local Highway patrolman said he writes 300 tickets a day

And you believed him?

32 posted on 04/17/2014 10:46:45 AM PDT by Michael.SF. (I never thought anyone could make Jimmy Carter look good in comparison.)
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To: ZirconEncrustedTweezers

$525 per drink is a little steep isn’t it?


33 posted on 04/17/2014 10:47:47 AM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: Rusty0604

> A hospital spokesperson says it was her understanding that Lewis was aggressive during the confrontation.”

I would be too if they treated me like that.


34 posted on 04/17/2014 10:49:54 AM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: Rusty0604
Lewis says he tried to pay the $0.89 right there, but wasn't allowed to. He says he wasn't given the chance to pay the cashier either.

Who does he think he is, Harry Reid? Only fat cat politicians can pay back the money and make crimes go away.

35 posted on 04/17/2014 10:50:33 AM PDT by BigBobber
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To: olepap

I read through the posting. It says he got aggressive. If he had been pleasant and low key there would have been no problem.


A hospital spokesperson says it was her understanding that Lewis was aggressive during the confrontation.

That actually says nothing.


36 posted on 04/17/2014 10:52:04 AM PDT by ravenwolf
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To: xrmusn

I recently learned that before there was a “Candid Camera” TV program there was a “Candid Microphone” radio program. Funt was in both.

http://www.otrcat.com/candid-microphone-p-2043.html


37 posted on 04/17/2014 10:53:10 AM PDT by citizen (There is always free government cheese in the mouse trap.....https://twitter.com/kracker0)
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To: Michael.SF.

“Well, the $525 fine made the government $499.11 in profit.................”

Virtually every time I passed him, he had somebody pulled over. But you’re right, that’s 37/hour for an eight hour shift. Incidentally, he looks like he should have retired years ago. When I got my ticket it took roughly five minutes. They scan your license and the whole ticket process is automated. Then you go online to pay. Here you can take an online course to avoid points and I don’t recall how much that costs.


38 posted on 04/17/2014 10:53:13 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: jsanders2001

Me too. I don’t understand some people think you should just take it politely and not cause trouble. Is that what the Jews did as they were marched into the gas chambers?


39 posted on 04/17/2014 10:53:45 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: Rusty0604

When progressives ignore moral parameters, they also lose the natural gift of common sense.


40 posted on 04/17/2014 10:55:10 AM PDT by Slyfox (When progressives ignore moral parameters, they also lose the natural gift of common sense.)
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