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Circuit City Shopper Cuffed
for Refusing to Show Receipt
Tom Conlon
Switched
Tuesday Sept 3, 2007
If you shop with any frequency at giant chain stores such as
Circuit City, Best Buy, Home Depot or even Bed, Bath & Beyond,
you've probably grown accustomed to showing a security person
your receipt and allowing him to inspect the contents of your
bag as you leave the store.
For most of us, this inspection is routine and nothing more than
a nuisance. But, have you ever stopped to wonder if this is even
legal, or that this search of your bags is essentially an accusation
of theft? Well, this past weekend, an Ohio man decided to refuse
the search of his bag at an area Circuit City and soon found himself
behind bars.
Though he tells the story in much more detail on his own blog,
here's a synopsis of what happened to Michael Righi of Brooklyn,
Ohio. This past Saturday afternoon, he dropped into Circuit City
and bought a surge protector and a copy of Disney's 'Cars' video
game for the Ninetendo Wii. When Righi was told by the door person
that his bag needed to be inspected and compared to his receipt,
Righi refused with a polite "No thank you" and kept
walking outside, where his father was waiting behind the driver's
seat of his car. The security person and manager ran out of the
store and blocked the car's exit from the parking lot. When neither
could tell Righi which U.S. law gave them the right to search
his bag, Righi asked to be let go or he would call the police
himself. They refused and Righi called the police. When the officer
showed up, he inspected the bag and saw nothing had been stolen.
He also asked Righi for his driver's license. Since Righi was
not driving his father's car, he refused to give up his driver's
license, but was happy to give his name and address at the officer's
request. Not amused, the officer arrested Righi and booked him
for 'Obstructing Official Business.'
(Article continues below)
Righi is now fighting the charges. He plans to involve the ACLU
and is even taking donations on his site to help fund his defense.
You need to
read Righi's full account of the events before you come to
any conclusions, but we think it's fair to say that he definitely
stirred the pot. Sure, this bag search is definitely an invasion
of privacy, and now that we think about it, it really is kind
of like accusing us loyal customers of theft. The police officer
may or may not have had the right to request Righi's license,
but once you refuse an order from a police officer you kind of
have to expect you'll end up in the clink – right or wrong.
It'll be interesting to see what comes of this case.
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