Woman Arrested for Eating Candy

[Casserole 10+ year member]

The Herald

Woman Arrested for Eating Candy in Subway

By CANDACE SMITH Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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 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.

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[Acidburn 5,000+ posts]

sorry to tell you man, but this has already been posted

 

[Casserole 10+ year member]

wow i should come here more often....guess who's a jackass!

wish i could delete it now...

 

[Acidburn 5,000+ posts]

its ok, we forgive you

 

[davidfre21 5,000+ posts]

its ok, we forgive you

i dont... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Acidburn 5,000+ posts]

but you dont count since you couldnt understand my other post

 

[davidfre21 5,000+ posts]

but you dont count since you couldnt understand my other post

i understand //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Acidburn 5,000+ posts]

**cough**finally**cough**

 

[davidfre21 5,000+ posts]

**cough**finally**cough**

wasnt talking about the joke //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

which i do now though

 

[Acidburn 5,000+ posts]

ooooo, ok, its good that you have gotten it

 

[thismightbepat 10+ year member]

Sounds like the work of a cop with a ticket quota to fill. Its outrageous what some cops will give tickets for these days. I read somewhere that a mother was given a ticket on a city sidewalk for disturbing the peace after her child's balloon busted loudly.

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

dude i posted this like last week

 

[davidfre21 5,000+ posts]

dude i posted this like last week

he ponted that out already //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif :boobies:

 

[saywhat? 5,000+ posts]

he actually poInted it out......we forgive your mistake.

 

[davidfre21 5,000+ posts]

ahhh cram it up into ur pie hole //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif