Man Faced $525 Fine for Refilling His Soft Drink
- 10 years ago
Christopher Lewis of North Charleston, South Carolina faced a 525 dollar federal fine for refilling his drink at the VA Medical Center.
Christopher Lewis of North Charleston, South Carolina was facing a 525 dollar federal fine for refilling his drink at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. The bizarre incident occurred while he was working as a construction worker at the facility.
On Lewis’ lunch hour he went to the cafeteria in the hospital. After refilling his cup, he was approached by a man who identified himself as “the chief of police” who asked him if he planned on paying for it.
Lewis claimed he offered to pay right on the spot, but he was instead taken to another room and issued the over 500 dollar ticket by the Federal Police force for what the hospital called a ‘theft of government property’.
Lewis was also told he was not allowed back on the premises, so that means he’s now without a job. In light of the incident, a hospital spokesperson made it known there are signs up alerting cafeteria goers that refills must be paid for and also claimed Lewis got aggressive during his conversation with the chief.
Lewis denied noticing the signs and had planned on fighting the ticket. The hospital has since backed down saying "a warning in lieu of a citation is sufficient in this case." It is unclear at this time if Lewis can resume working on site. He commented “I want everybody to know that I made a simple mistake, that I’m not a thief. I’m trying to do the right thing.”
Christopher Lewis of North Charleston, South Carolina was facing a 525 dollar federal fine for refilling his drink at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. The bizarre incident occurred while he was working as a construction worker at the facility.
On Lewis’ lunch hour he went to the cafeteria in the hospital. After refilling his cup, he was approached by a man who identified himself as “the chief of police” who asked him if he planned on paying for it.
Lewis claimed he offered to pay right on the spot, but he was instead taken to another room and issued the over 500 dollar ticket by the Federal Police force for what the hospital called a ‘theft of government property’.
Lewis was also told he was not allowed back on the premises, so that means he’s now without a job. In light of the incident, a hospital spokesperson made it known there are signs up alerting cafeteria goers that refills must be paid for and also claimed Lewis got aggressive during his conversation with the chief.
Lewis denied noticing the signs and had planned on fighting the ticket. The hospital has since backed down saying "a warning in lieu of a citation is sufficient in this case." It is unclear at this time if Lewis can resume working on site. He commented “I want everybody to know that I made a simple mistake, that I’m not a thief. I’m trying to do the right thing.”