Woman Arrested, Cuffed for Eating Candy 1 hour, 30 minutes ago Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo! By CANDACE SMITH, Associated Press Writer 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This has to be the most obnxious law on the books! And I thought getting pulled over for going 75 in a 70 was bad...sheesh! I feel really bad for the cerebral palsy patient, what a crock!
What bugs me is that the officers who enforce this must be complete A-holes. I know that it is part of their job, but pahleeze! Imagine a person acting very suspiciouly (who is actually a terrorist) slipping by the police (last line of defense) in the metro and getting away with setting off an explosive. It may have been prevented, but officer Smith was too busy giving a citacion to a guy in a wheelchair or arresting someone for eating some candy.
Ummm, in case you haven't noticed, Constitutional Freedoms have all been suspended while we track down some ragheads........
I smoked but I didn't inhale-GOOD I ate but I didn't chew-BAD I love the Nuremburg type of defense (we are just following orders) that the police chief gave: "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." Notice that unlike any SANE person that would question such an idiotic policy of arresting a person for chewing a mouthful of candy bar, the police chief parrots the justification of the policy of issuing citations to people for violating the idiotic offense. And people wonder why there is civil disobedience and a general dislike for police authority. Do these guys actually HAVE a brain, or was it surgically removed the day that they pinned on a badge?
Why was she held for three hours. Plus the story about the "ticketed a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy patient for cursing when he was unable to find a working elevator to leave a station." is just out of this world! wow!! This is even funnier than the GOT MILF license plate story.
oooooohhhhh arent we being PC today!, you can also be locked up for saying things like that in the UK but not for eating on the train (give em another 6 months and they'll find a way of making you pay tax to do so!)
No kidding! Its not like she was wasted and had to hang out in the drunk tank to sober up. I really can't take this, for some reason this story has really gotten me worked up.
Removed? As if there are a lot of young bright people trying to decide between MIT and working the beat. I respect some cops, but come on. What jackass takes the dumbest of the dumb and gives them legal right to fine, detain, and shoot? This is some ****ing bull**** -- speaking of which since when is swearing illegal? Holy ****!
It seems a great all around day for government actions today: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040729/ap_on_re_us/sex_toys_ban_1 "A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld a 1998 Alabama law banning the sale of sex toys in the state, ruling the Constitution doesn't include a right to sexual privacy." WTF?
For these and many more places where the Grey is replaced by black and white thinking please send your feedback to.... http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/ashcroftbio.html
This pisses me off. I live outside Washington and I rarely go into the city anymore. I go in for events, theater, and dining, that's basically it. The parking tickets have gotten out of control.... The roads are terrible......Now Metros ****ing up. I won't ride it anymore because of some incidents many years ago where I had to help ladies being harassed in two different occasions. My wife uses it sometimes as she's a fed.. Great now I have this to be concerned about. ........... It's getting very close to the time to get a driver. Anyone know what this woman looked like and why she was held for 3 hours?
Just wondering, but weren't you speeding and, thus, breaking a law that we all agree is good when we see young kids blasting by at unreal speeds?
In the past six weeks, I've taken the metro every day, along with probably 300 people on each train - and I have yet to be harrased, nor have I seen anyone harrassed, by cops.
Steve Where are you located and how many times have you been pulled over when following the law without exception?
Located in New Hampshire. In 2004 or 2003? In 2003, i would say approximately 7 times (with 3 times during the first MONTH of having the car). In 2004 about 3 times so far... but the year is young.
Good lord! That really is out of hand. My advice Steven is to do what you said, hide a video recorder in your car and get this crap on tape!
Yes, will be buying one this weekend. Enough is enough. Again, would say more but can not due to an upcoming court hearing.
Christ - Now we're comparing banning the sale of, not the use of sex toys to being detained for three hours for eating a candy bar? You sir, are a dolt. Get an education, then come back. Until then, please flawlessly go away. Thanks.