Woman Arrested, Cuffed for Eating Candy

[conjur]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040729/ap_on_fe_st/candy_bar_arrest_1

WASHINGTON - A government scientist finishing a candy bar on her way into a subway station where eating is prohibited was arrested, handcuffed and detained for three hours by transit police.

Stephanie Willett said she was eating a PayDay bar on an escalator descending into a station July 16 when an officer warned her to finish it before entering the station. Both Willett and police agree that she nodded and put the last bit into her mouth before throwing the wrapper into a trash can.

Willett, a 45-year-old Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) scientist, told radio station WTOP that the officer then followed her into the station, one of several in downtown Washington.

"Don't you have some other crimes you have to take care of?" Willett said she told the officer.

Washington has been under heightened security because of the continuing threat of terrorism. And last week, police declared a citywide crime emergency over rising juvenile crime.

The transit police officer asked for Willett's identification, but Willett kept walking. She said she was then frisked and handcuffed.

"If she had stopped eating, it would have been the end of it and if she had just stopped for the issuance of a citation, she never would have been locked up," Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson said Thursday.

Metrorail has been criticized in the past for heavy-handed enforcement of the eating ban. In 2000, a police officer handcuffed a 12-year-old girl for eating a french fry on a subway platform.

In 2002, one of their officers ticketed a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy patient for cursing when he was unable to find a working elevator to leave a station. Unflattering publicity eventually led the police to void the ticket.

Willett was the second person arrested this year for eating or drinking, Hanson said. In addition, police have issued 58 tickets and given more than 300 written warnings.

Wow...great way to spend taxpayer dollars.

:roll:

 

[Shelly21]

I remember reading something about 3 models breaking into a bakery and gorge themselves on cakes.

 

[CPA]

And you wonder why Washington has the highest murder rate in the nation - police are too busy worrying about eating on the subway.

 

[Amused]

This happened to a teenage girl a year or so ago.

It's rather pathetic.

 

[Aharami]

these cops must have nothing else to do

 

[Gurck]

:disgust:, especially at the chief defending him and the manner in which she did so.

 

[Jzero]

So let me get this straight.
He asked her to finish the candy bar.
Which she did.
And then he chased her so that he could give her a ticket?

 

[Homerboy]

Metrorail has been criticized in the past for heavy-handed enforcement of the eating ban. In 2000, a police officer handcuffed a 12-year-old girl for eating a french fry on a subway platform.

WTF are these idjits thinking when they pull sh!t like this? Do they REALLY think its acceptable?

 

[Electric Amish]

Wow.

Maced in a theater. Arrested for eating the final bite of a candy bar in the subway.

WTF is wrong with the authorities?

 

[gistech1978]

Whew, that was a close one.
good thing, she didnt get into the station with that thing.

 

[eigen]

Yes because half of p&n will be screaming " she broke the law"

 

[ghostman]

Wow. And I thought NYC police were ticket-happy.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: Jzero
So let me get this straight.
He asked her to finish the candy bar.
Which she did.
And then he chased her so that he could give her a ticket?

No, he abused his power because she made a slightly sassy comment.

 

[NFS4]

WTF is wrong with this country???? Hell, I've got an unopened PayDay sitting right here beside my keyboard right now. Anyone else wanna join me on a road trip to D.C for an "eat-off"?

 

[rh71]

She mouthed off to the guy and it gave him reason to pursue the issue. She acted like a 12 year old. Detained for 3 hours ? No... but she will have learned her lesson.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: Jzero
So let me get this straight.
He asked her to finish the candy bar.
Which she did.
And then he chased her so that he could give her a ticket?

No, he abused his power because she made a slightly sassy comment.

Ahh OK. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[xcript]

Mmm, candy.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: NFS4
WTF is wrong with this country???? Hell, I've got an unopened PayDay sitting right here beside my keyboard right now. Anyone else wanna join me on a road trip to D.C for an "eat-off"?

That just doesn't sound right at all. :shocked:

 

[Thraxen]

She mouthed off to the guy and it gave him reason to pursue the issue. She acted like a 12 year old. Detained for 3 hours ? No... but she will have learned her lesson.

Oh please... so what if she mouthed off? She did as asked. It's a stupid law to be arresting people over.

 

[imported_Nail]

The transit police officer asked for Willett's identification, but Willett kept walking

Should have used the tazer.

 

[imported_Nail]

Either way, I wonder if she's cute.

 

[gigapet]

Originally posted by: rh71
She mouthed off to the guy and it gave him reason to pursue the issue. She acted like a 12 year old. Detained for 3 hours ? No... but she will have learned her lesson.

she was being harassed and she reacted as any other person would who was being harassed by another....the person harassing her just happened to have a gun and the ability to take away her freedom.

 

[Turkish]

DC sucks :thumbsdown:

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: gigapet

Originally posted by: rh71
She mouthed off to the guy and it gave him reason to pursue the issue. She acted like a 12 year old. Detained for 3 hours ? No... but she will have learned her lesson.

she was being harassed and she reacted as any other person would who was being harassed by another....the person harassing her just happened to have a gun and the ability to take away her freedom.

Harrassed ? How ? Point it out. All he did was warn her to finish it (which she did) and she mouthed off to him after that. The guy was upholding the law. Blame the lawmakers, not the cop.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: NFS4
WTF is wrong with this country???? Hell, I've got an unopened PayDay sitting right here beside my keyboard right now. Anyone else wanna join me on a road trip to D.C for an "eat-off"?

Sort of a "feeding strike" instead of hunger strike?