Don’t you have some other crimes you have to take care of?
Eating en route to or while riding the subway here is a no-no. Stephanie Willett, a government employee, found that out the hard way recently. Finishing a candy bar on her way into a Metro station, she was arrested, handcuffed and detained for three hours.
Willett said she was eating a PayDay bar on an escalator descending into a station July 16 when a transit policeman 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.
Arrested for eating a candy bar. Ain’t that America.
July 30th, 2004 at 11:25 am
Last year they threw an 11 year old girl in jail for eating on the metro.
But there is a great kicker – while you can’t eat – you can bring all the food (covered or not) onto the metro. The prohibition is only on eating.
So, you can board the Metro with hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas, whatever, and just sit there watching the watchers watch you and waiting for you to step over the line. YOu might get lectured, but as long as you don’t put anything in your mouth, they can’t do a thing to you.
Bastards!
July 30th, 2004 at 3:37 pm
First witness for the defense will be her mother, who will testify to having taught her to chew every bite before swallowing.
July 30th, 2004 at 3:40 pm
DC ain’t America, man.
What I love are the police officer’s responses to media questions. “She did not cooperate.”
Freedom, baby! Woohoo!
July 30th, 2004 at 4:15 pm
So I’m the only one who thinks it humorous that a govt employee from one bureau was arrested by a govt employee from another bureau for an infraction of a law from yet another bureau?
Twisted in NC
July 31st, 2004 at 6:22 am
Police units are being spun up to fight “terrorism.” Of course…none of them will ever SEE a terrorist so guess who they end up hasseling and arresting?
Wonder if those swat team guys that sat with MP5s over the cage at the DNC “protest zone” thought they were going to get to shoot a terrorist?
Every canary is dead as a doornail.