Man Arrested For Not Returning VHS Rental In 2002

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I know people will have sympathy for this guy but I think he should have been arrested....for renting that movie in the first place. All joking aside, Tom Green stepping up to pay the guy's fine was pretty cool.

If you’ve got any old VHS tapes still kicking around, now might be a good time to make sure they weren’t rentals you forgot to return way back when. Otherwise, you may find yourself clapped in handcuffs, like a North Carolina man who was recently arrested for failing to return a VHS copy of Freddy Got Fingered to a video store in 2002. Yes, this really happened.


 
I'm surprised the movie studios didn't charge him 5 years prison time and $250,000 for stealing a movie. Think of all the money they could of had if he bought the movie instead of renting it! The movie studios probably think he used the movie to copy it for others.
 
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"Daddy would you like some sausage?"
This guy lives in my town. Never thought the Town Clowns down here would arrest a guy for not returning a VHS tape. The business he rented it from is, well, out of business of course.
 
bbvdd2 said:
"Daddy would you like some sausage?"
This guy lives in my town. Never thought the Town Clowns down here would arrest a guy for not returning a VHS tape. The business he rented it from is, well, out of business of course.
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That reminds me of a conversation about Slysoft's software becoming public domain since the company went under (stupid movie studios). Some said it would still be stealing since it used to be a company. So by that logic, even though the video company still went under, he still technically stole it... Right? Who would receive the fine if he has to pay it? The video store...?
 
ShagnWagn said:
That reminds me of a conversation about Slysoft's software becoming public domain since the company went under (stupid movie studios). Some said it would still be stealing since it used to be a company. So by that logic, even though the video company still went under, he still technically stole it... Right? Who would receive the fine if he has to pay it? The video store...?
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It depends, if the video store went bankrupt it would go to their creditors. Otherwise it would go to the last registered owner.
 
I remember reading some years ago about them arresting someone for not returning a library book(s). Glad I live in Canada where the cops are a bit more reasonable.
 
I think this is an example of how the American legal system is broken. This guy should have just received a letter asking him to pay the price of the movie plus interest, what would that be by this point? $35? This is not a criminal matter, it's strictly civil and the overlap here is both silly and dangerous.
 
I would sure think this would get dismissed if he goes to Court on it which he should. Don't think the owners of the defunct store would show up or press charges unless they were real dickheads.
 
That is mind boggling.

I would force a trial, do discovery, depose everyone, multiple times and generally inflict the pain of this stupid, stupid law on everyone even remotely involved in this stupid, stupid mockery of justice.
 
This sounds like companies looking to cash out on stuff that has long passed the statute of limitations. I applaud Tom Green, but nobody should have to pay for this. Just means companies are doing what they can to make a buck from something that wasn't worth $20 then, and certainly isn't worth anything now.
 
Mike89 said:
I would sure think this would get dismissed if he goes to Court on it which he should. Don't think the owners of the defunct store would show up or press charges unless they were real dickheads.
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You don't even have to prove you returned it. They have to prove you rented it and that you didn't - and that they never once made a mistake. Good luck.
 
DukenukemX said:
This sounds like companies looking to cash out on stuff that has long passed the statue of limitations. I applaud Tom Green, but nobody should have to pay for this. Just means companies are doing what they can to make a buck from something that wasn't worth $20 then, and certainly isn't worth anything now.
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They probably filed the charges way back in 2002 - there is no way you could do that 14 years later. If Bill Cosby is outside of the SoL, then this guy should be light years out.
 
I can't be the only one that found that movie hilarious.

Just absurd stupid comedy. It's like the people that watched it didn't watch his show and expected Citizen Kane or something.
 
Silentbob343 said:
Found this while trying to find a statute of limitations:
Woman Arrested Nine Years After Failing to Return Rented Video

That is crazy
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North Carolina Criminal Statute of Limitations Laws - FindLaw

In North Carolina there are no Statutes of Limitations on Felonies.
None for malicious misdemeanors and 2 years for simple misdemeanors.


It shows Meyers is charged with failure to return rental property, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200.
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So the Statute of Limitations on this crime is 2 years ...but... a Statute of limitations applies to how long some has in order to file charges or a law suite. It has nothing to do with how long an Arrest Warrant can live.
 
Only 5% of world's population, yet has 25% of world's total persons behind bars.

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
 
Quix said:
I think this is an example of how the American legal system is broken. This guy should have just received a letter asking him to pay the price of the movie plus interest, what would that be by this point? $35? This is not a criminal matter, it's strictly civil and the overlap here is both silly and dangerous.
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Nope. That video rental was rental property and his failure to return it was theft. A warrant was sworn out for his arrest. The only thing that is remotely notable is that it took 14 years to find him and arrest him. By the way, in 2002 a movie rental like that wasn't a 30$ VHS tape. At least the video shops had to pay one hell of a lot more then that for a mastered copy to rent out.
 
Got to give the guy credit for never having been pulled over since 2002. That's way more control on the road than I.
 
Mike89 said:
I would sure think this would get dismissed if he goes to Court on it which he should. Don't think the owners of the defunct store would show up or press charges unless they were real dickheads.
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They already pressed charges, that's why there was an Arrest Warrant out on him. The DA would have to decide if they were going to drop the charges or prosecute. And as you said, if no one from the business is around and no records are available to support the case against him. I doubt the DA would take it to the Court Room.
 
Sonicks said:
Uh....he's correct ya know:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html?_r=0

But that's besides the point, this story is too funny.
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Don't effect me, long as I get my money next Friday.

Maybe people's attitude toward the laws of this country plays a part as well. We have so many people who simply flaunt our laws and do whatever they want regardless of law. They just don't fear it cause there isn't much about it to fear I suppose.

I have no time nor intention to worry over the fate of those who can not abide by the law. People who have neither self respect nor a sense of personal responsibility and break the laws of this country can pay for it.

It's sad though because it costs all of us so much.

Had a guy in a nearby town was arrested for dealing. He cried that he had lost his job 2 years before, and it was a way he could take care of his family and people cried for him and how his family would be without him.

How many times as he sold those drugs did he count up the cash and set some aside to get a trade or some schooling?

People continued to cry for him, now that he is a felon, how will he ever be able to work again and support his family later on.

And I conclude that he wasn't thinking about who would see to his family if he were caught. He wasn't thinking about them at all really.

I just do not understand this compulsion Americans have for breaking the law. Just too damned spoiled is all I can come up with, too damned spoiled.
 
pxc said:
Only 5% of world's population, yet has 25% of world's total persons behind bars.

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
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Yet we still have people getting killed because they let these criminals out of jail early.
Maybe if our jails where as bad as they are in some 3rd world countries more people would follow the law to avoid jail.
 
There are about 36 other countries that still use Capitol Punishment for some crimes. The types of crimes they will execute you for are varied. Several will kill you for drug trafficking, China will for embezzlement and fraud. Saudi Arab kills witches, no shit. Some will execute homosexuals and some will execute for adultery. Europe might not be so big on executions or incarceration but they'll take your money big time and getting arrested is not a fun process. You haven't had a beat down like the Polizie give a beat down. Those spring loaded batons are famous and it's not just the Germans that use them.

I was talking about how Americans flaunt the law. I was in Germany on work, driving to the airport in Frankfurt, and I took a wrong turn onto an autobahn and it was pretty clear, I just did a quick U turn to get back off that ramp, it was two way traffic, and man, I had Germans stopping and wagging their fingers at me, "shame on you" is what I figure they were saying. It's a completely different society there. We have more in Common with Koreans then we do with Europeans in our attitudes toward orderly society.

Those countries are tiny, their populations too small to compare. You might take their numbers and compare them to some of our states. Out of that 2.3 million criminals in our prisons, 55,000 are foreigners. China has 1.6 million in prison not counting a couple hundred thousand political dissidents and others held in re-education camps. And of Course where the US execute 35 prisoners in 2014 China kept their prison population lower by executing over 1,000 criminals the same year.

The United States has, for instance, 2.3 million criminals behind bars, more than any other nation, according to data maintained by the International Center for Prison Studies at King's College London.
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Foreign National Prison Population on the Rise: Report
Of the 55,000 foreign nationals currently imprisoned in U.S. detention facilities, approximately 38,500 of them are Mexican nationals.
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I'm not making excuses just helping to finish the picture. But if Americans are going to keep on breaking the law then I think they are going to continue to go to jail for it.
 
At least the officer(s) that did the initial stop applied some common sense when they let him go on his way on the promise to appear later sort it out. As others have pointed out, warrants often don't have a SoL even if the underlying charges do. Guessing this one gets tossed once everything is reviewed. OTOH, the officer gets credit for catching a person with an outstanding warrant and some DA gets credit for closing an open case. The Bureaucracy Gods will be pleased.
 
pxc said:
Only 5% of world's population, yet has 25% of world's total persons behind bars.

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
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Thats because third world nations are too poor to have a proper police and penile system.

When I was deployed to Iraq, the Iraqi Poilce came to me for help. They had no way of effectively tracking criminals, they were still using paper documents, a laughable fingerprinting system, etc. If some dude commited murder or rape in one province, none of the other provinces would know. Hell even in the same province, you would be very lucky if even other police jurisdictions knew.

Long story short, I developed a networked digital system for them called BlueStar, they are in much better shape now.
 
leeleatherwood said:
Thats because third world nations are too poor to have a proper police and penile system.
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Futurama-Fry.jpg

My good man, I believe you mean, "penal" system.
 
Dead Parrot said:
At least the officer(s) that did the initial stop applied some common sense when they let him go on his way on the promise to appear later sort it out. As others have pointed out, warrants often don't have a SoL even if the underlying charges do. Guessing this one gets tossed once everything is reviewed. OTOH, the officer gets credit for catching a person with an outstanding warrant and some DA gets credit for closing an open case. The Bureaucracy Gods will be pleased.
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If it were a black person, they would be in jail for weeks, losing the several part-time jobs they had managed to find, no media attention because that's just business as normal for those people, so no donations from celebrities. But he's a white North Carolina man, so it's all okay and funny and nothing will happen to him, free pass from the justice system!
 
evilsofa said:
If it were a black person, they would be in jail for weeks, losing the several part-time jobs they had managed to find, no media attention because that's just business as normal for those people, so no donations from celebrities. But he's a white North Carolina man, so it's all okay and funny and nothing will happen to him, free pass from the justice system!
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This post is absolute LUNACY and just bullshit! A black person would NEVER rent Freddy Got Fingered.
 
Isn't watching the movie punishment enough? I say he just tells the truth, he started to watch the movie and to save what was left of his sanity had to burn the tape as he couldn't have it in his house any more and couldn't risk any further exposer in order to return it.
 
Well, what the hell. There isn't any worse crimes to work on, such as Terrorism and stuffs. This was an important take-down !!!
 
evilsofa said:
If it were a black person, they would be in jail for weeks, losing the several part-time jobs they had managed to find, no media attention because that's just business as normal for those people, so no donations from celebrities. But he's a white North Carolina man, so it's all okay and funny and nothing will happen to him, free pass from the justice system!
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Translation: This story doesn't follow my narrative, so I have to write my own fantasy!

Typical. Not even the first time today this crap was predicted.
 
I used to find military history books in the Library system that were collectibles... take them out, say i lost them, pay the cover price which was pennys on the dollar of the collectible value for a used book, and add them to my collection...but I never just kept them and didnt pay for years...lol
 
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