Arrest for theft of 5 cents of electricity

Consider this. Change the title from "arrest for theft of electricity" to "arrest for theft of gasoline", regardless of the amount, and see where you stand.

 

How about. Man arrested because he pissed off a cop. A simple "sorry I did not think of it that way" would of gone a long way in this situation. Like the Army guy stopped by police in Texas for carring an AR15 in public. It is not against law to carry one but he went defensive after 5 seconds and put the cop on the defensive. End result was he went to jail for interfering with the duties of an officer. Lesson is don't piss off a person in power. you will always loose. Right or wrong.
Have a good day and don't let the issue get to you.

 

EV drivers beware.
You never get a second chance to make good first impression.

 

The outlet and the electricity both have a financial cost to the owner, so it does apply. Just because the stolen electricity is easier to 'replace' on the owner's part doesn't make its theft any less of a crime.

If the other tennis player had a Leaf, and also plugged it in, it could easily have been on the same circuit. Which would trip the breaker at best. At worse, maybe burn the school down.

Just because things can plug into the same outlet doesn't make them equal. A car isn't equivalent to a cell phone or tablet. It's more like a vacuum, hair dryer, or space heater. Airports and coffee shops might not care if people were plugging in laptops, but they will with a space heater.

I believe in not trusting anybody that have authority or power over me. Not trusting isn't an excuse to not be polite. They do have power over you after all.

 

I hear you, but do not understand your Logic.

Try this, it is a hybrid

If there is a gas can in the high school lawn, and you run over and pour the gas in your car, with the police officer watching, what are chances you will not be arrested? Feel free to be abusive to the officer when caught. (Even though the officer watches this, he has no idea how much gas was in the can, only that you took it without permission)

He is guilty, it appears he was doing it repeatedly. It is no different than shoplifting.

 

Theft is theft. However I think a citation would be more appropriate.

 

Not sure why you're still arguing about right or wrong. I'm not here to judge this leaf guy right or wrong. TBH, I would never plug into a public power outlet to charge my car. But that's beside my point. My point is if he's wrong for plugging in at this school, we're also wrong for plugging in at airport outlets as we never ask for permission to use airport WALL power outlets.

 

You keep saying 'we' when you mean "I'. If I walk into a restaurant with "Free Wifi" I will ask if there is a table with a plug in I can use. I am careful never to use Wifi I do not have permission to use. I ask at the gate where there are A/C outlets I can use. Why NOT ask the experts where I am allowed what I want?

 

would it make you feel better if I said: Those people who judge him should stop judging because you're no better than him and it's hypocritical?

 

I say we because WE all use airport outlets, and WE never ask for permisson and you know it. Unless you don't use those outlets, then you're excluded.

 

No, I use them, after asking. I started carrying computers through airports when they looked like this:



It was much rarer then and I learned good habits. (Canadian Customs once held me for 3 hours while they figured out what it was, not because of plugging in)

 

wonderful!!! We need more people like you in this world!

 

Lets look at the big picture here. Don't cops have real crime to fight? Do they have the manpower and time to deal with this rinky-dink ultra-petty stuff? The answer is no. Give the guy a ticket or something, if you must, but arrest is a total over-reaction. There are crimes you should get arrested for and crimes that you should just get a summons for, (or a warning).

And for those who are so adamant about "stealing and theft" are you going to call 911 and demand arrest the next time you see someone charging their laptop in an airport? I dare you to call 911 with that...you will probably get arrested yourself for being an idiot.

 

The person who called 911 for the EV creep didn't get arrested.

Personally?
I wouldn't call 911 for somebody stealing electricity from the school kids. BUT...I live in a small town. We would just call LEO's cell phone and tell him (or her) to go tell the cretin not to steal from the kid's school.

The only 2 dogs I have in this fight are:
1. I drive a Prius....and so I'm lumped in with the eco-chic crowd. Good and bad. Only a Prius driver can tell a pip from the plebeian Priuses.....and even then the differences are only most obvious when the former is plugged in.
2. I'm a citizen. Theft in any amount undermines the community.....especially when it's blatant public theft. The fact that there are people in this very forum that don't see very much wrong with it is illustrative of potentially crushing problem for a community that's already been dealt several cards from the bottom of the deck, and if you don't think that PR is VERY important to the EV community?

Sneak up behind Elon Musk and yell "fire!"

 

Say he wasn't driving an EV, but a 'normal' gas car? What about the cost of the pollution? In the long run, all things considered, that's more valuable than a few pennies worth of electricity. Is air free? Your answer requires more thought than you think it does....

We had a similar discussion at our local city hall. Somebody with an EV showed up to a meeting and plugged it in while he was there. The topic of 'theft' came up, but it was quickly and amicably resolved that overall, it was a very small price to pay in return for the benefits. Not long after that, the city bought some electric cars, a couple of electric cars, and put in a charging station.

 

It would make me feel better when you recognize the difference between yourself and most everyone else: the non-petty-thieving world... instead of continuing this accusation that everyone else must also steal like you.

I'm sure it must make you feel better to believe that... but it is far from reality.

 

Just out of curiosity, who do you typically ask in an airport about using a wall outlet?

 

This is a he_said/she_said story, and we will never know the truth. Well, we know the stolen electricity was the excuse for the charge, not the reason for the arrest.

Was the owner a jerk ? Maybe
Was the police a jerk ? Maybe

I'm most impressed to read that a 'citizen' complained, leading to the incident. I'll continue to stay away from GA.

 

Separate from the "stupid"- Airport vs. "What The Guy Did"...debate...

The guy obviously had at least some idea that what he was doing wasn't 100% kosher. He say's in his interview that he had "done it before" and he was specifically doing it on a Saturday when the school was closed.

I doubt he ever pulled up during operating school hours during the week and plugged in. Because on some level he knew that he'd get in trouble and somebody would notice.

Had the guy gone to the school and sought permission? I'd have no trouble with what he did. He did not seek permission, he simply did it as if it was his right...

I don't think the guy should of been arrested 11 days later, in fact arresting him was probably over kill. But a warning, and perhaps a modest fine would of been appropriate.

 

I agree.

There is no connection between plugging in an electric vehicle at a closed public school, and using available outlets in an Airport.

Except for the "Plug In" part they are two totally different situations with totally different social and legal circumstances surrounding them.