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[jamesinclair]

An 11 day investigation followed the heinous crime.

Tens of thousands of tax dollars to be spent bringing justice to the great state of Georgia.

A Georgia man found himself in handcuffs after charging his electric car outside a middle school where his son was playing tennis in what police alleged was unlawful “theft” of county power worth roughly five cents.

Kaveh Kamooneh, of Decatur, said he was attending a Saturday morning tennis practice session for his 11-year-old son on Nov. 2 when he plugged in his electric car at a power outlet outside Chamblee Middle School.

Kamooneh, 50, said he was alarmed when, soon after, he saw a police officer inspecting his Nissan LEAF.

According to a report from the Chamblee Police Department, an officer responded to a called complaint of the white Nissan LEAF left parked and charging at the school. In the police report, the officer said he could not find the vehicle’s owner but found the car doors unlocked and picked up a piece of mail on the car floor showing a Decatur address.

“He told me he was going to arrest me for theft,” Kamooneh said, who said he charged his car for roughly 20 minutes. Clean Cities Atlanta, an electric vehicle advocacy group, says that is roughly the equivalent of a nickel's worth of electricity, WIXA in Atlanta reported.

On Nov. 13, Kamooneh said he was met at his door by police, who handcuffed him and took him to the DeKalb County jail, where he was held for about 15 hours.

“I quickly realized it was from the events that had happened 11 days back,” he said. “The officer did threaten that he would do that. I guess I didn’t quite believe that he would go through with it.”

Kamooneh was officially charged with theft by taking what the officer said was “theft of power” by not seeking permission from the DeKalb County School system to charge his car there, according to the police report.

Police said, according to the report, they met with Chamblee Middle School employees, who confirmed that Kamooneh was not authorized to plug his car into any school socket.

Sgt. Ernesto Ford of the of the Chamblee Police Department declined to discuss the incident further with NBC News, but told WXIA that Kamooneh “broke the law. He stole something that wasn’t his.”

“A theft is a theft,” he added.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/04/21756802-theft-of-power-lands-electric-car-driver-in-jail

In other Goergia news, children might be shot on sight if they attempt to drink water from public fountains that their tax dollars pay for. Lord have mercy on the kid who needs to charge his phone.

 

[TheOMan]

Soooo, can he pay the nickel and be done with it?

Georgia, a place I will never willingly visit.

 

[Trojita]

I guessed Georgia

Because I saw this on the news.

 

[Camp Lo]

Sgt. Ernesto Ford of the of the Chamblee Police Department declined to discuss the incident further with NBC News, but told WXIA that Kamooneh “broke the law. He stole something that wasn’t his.”

“A theft is a theft,” he added.

What a fucking tool.

 

[Dishwalla]

Wait, the officer opened the door to the car and picked up a piece of mail from inside? Can he do that?

 

[mackattk]

Doesn't tax dollars help fund schools?

No wait.. lets just spend tens of thousands of tax payers dollars on a five cent theft.

 

[speculawyer]

What the fuck? These police should be charged for wasting state resources. Really? You burned more in gasoline driving to the guys house than electricity he got. You are going to waste police time, court time, etc. over FIVE FUCKING CENTS?!?!?

Idiots.

There has got to be something else involved here.

 

[studyguy]

Let one thief through the cracks and suddenly we'll have a whole nation of hippies charging the doodads in public outlets. What's next? Thieves plugging their kurieg machines at local libraries to make their mocha-java-machiattos?

 

[Guevara]

If he instead siphoned a little gas from a state-owned vehicle I think everyone would be in agreement that he's guilty and should be prosecuted.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Cop is going full Javert on him.

 

[Stinkles]

What the fuck? These police should be charged for wasting state resources. Really? You burned more in gasoline driving to the guys house than electricity he got. You are going to waste police time, court time, etc. over FIVE FUCKING CENTS?!?!?

Idiots.

There has got to be something else involved here.

probably argued with the cop. Who it seems conducted an illegal search of the vehicle.

 

[The Smoking Bun]

Wait, the officer opened the door to the car and picked up a piece of mail from inside? Can he do that?

That's nothing. Cops in America can kill innocents and get medals for it...

 

[Valnen]

I didn't know this was actually illegal.

 

[gurudyne]

What a fucking tool.

Man should be reprimanded for wasting city resources. What a complete lack of judgment skills.

 

[DeadNames]

The Law™.

 

[Espresso]

This is what happens when the role of the police shifts from officer of the peace to strict enforcer of the law.

 

[CrazyDude]

Fine him 10 cents and be done with it.

 

[Anion]

As if he doesnt pay the school hundreds in taxes...

 

[krae_man]

I didn't know this was actually illegal.

Personally, I don't think it's grounds for a criminal theft. However it shouldn't be done without permission. At worst the punishment should be being banned from the property with a threat for a trespass charge if he ignores it. But that should only be after a couple warnings.

 

[Polari]

Dumb, but I can understand in terms of setting a precedent.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

I didn't know this was actually illegal.

So if I charge my various devices on school property then I am committing theft?

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

The future of charging an electric car, ladies and gentleman.

I'm glad you can't steal 5c of gasoline to head home!

 

[Espresso]

That would require having a brain, which this cop obviously lacks.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-cops/story?id=95836

Old, but relevant.

 

[Cat Party]

"Excuse me, officer, what's the charge?"

"Exactly."

 

[Alucrid]

Oops, I tripped, grabbed a car door's handle and it opened.

Oops, looks like my hand fell into the inside. .

Oops, looks like it rummaged around on its own and found this envelope.

No eyes, don't make me look at it, don't make me-okay eyes, you win this one.

 

[Funky Papa]

The cop in question

 

[dimb]

Uh, couldn't a police officer just grab a license plate number to ID a vehicle and its owner?

 

[cdyhybrid]

Pigs.

 

[DarkFlow]

Uh, couldn't a police officer just grab a license plate number to ID a vehicle and its owner?

Pfft, why do that when you can do a Illegal search?

 

[Camp Lo]

If he instead siphoned a little gas from a state-owned vehicle I think everyone would be in agreement that he's guilty and should be prosecuted.

You would have to quantify what five cents worth of gasoline is first.

 

[joelseph]

I just assumed that car chargers would need some sort of higher voltage connection ala Washing Machines. Was this a 'standard' plug?

 

[Branduil]

Uh, couldn't a police officer just grab a license plate number to ID a vehicle and its owner?

That would require having a brain, which this cop obviously lacks.

 

[pompidu]

If he instead siphoned a little gas from a state-owned vehicle I think everyone would be in agreement that he's guilty and should be prosecuted.

gas is not a public utility. should have just finedhim.

 

[Camp Lo]

I just assumed that car chargers would need some sort of higher voltage connection ala Washing Machines. Was this a 'standard' plug?

Yeah, I figured it would be like charging your cellphone off your low voltage PC as opposed to a wall socket.

 

[Protein]

That asshole cop contributed to global warming by using his squad car to travel to arrest the man. A polar bear will die as a result therefore that cop should be charged with harming an endangered species.

 

[Fiktion]

Would this have happened to a white guy doing the same thing?

 

[Valtýr]

If he instead siphoned a little gas from a state-owned vehicle I think everyone would be in agreement that he's guilty and should be prosecuted.

If he had plugged his phone into a wall socket at the school would that be considered theft as well?

 

[jamesinclair]

I just assumed that car chargers would need some sort of higher voltage connection ala Washing Machines. Was this a 'standard' plug?

Every EV can plug into a standard 120v wall outlet. Takes 8+ hours for a full charge.

At home, most people install 240v chargers to speed things up (aka the dryers voltage). Takes 4ish hours for a full charge.

Special dedicated EV chargers you see at parking lots go much higher, so you can charge fully in under an hour.

Dude plugged into the same outlet youd plug a phone charger into.

 

[Heel]

Hopefully they set up surveillance at McDonalds and catch those thieves trying to take home extra napkins and ketchup packets.

 

[TheOMan]

If he instead siphoned a little gas from a state-owned vehicle I think everyone would be in agreement that he's guilty and should be prosecuted.

But that's not what happened.

 

[Lambtron]

I should've been arrested for charging my phone in the San Francisco public library, I guess!

 

[Valnen]

I should've been arrested for charging my phone in the San Francisco public library, I guess!

Seriously, I've plugged things in in public places. A lot. I've never gotten trouble for it. Never knew I was actually breaking the law.

 

[heyf00L]

In the police report, the officer said he could not find the vehicle’s owner but found the car doors unlocked and picked up a piece of mail on the car floor showing a Decatur address

This could get the case thrown out. That's an illegal search.

But otherwise this is theft.

 

[Mariolee]

Electricops

Coming to some bullshit near you.

 

[Don't Laugh]

This could get the case thrown out. That's an illegal search.

But otherwise this is theft.

how is that theft and charging your phone isn't?

 

[Koomaster]

If he had plugged his phone into a wall socket at the school would that be considered theft as well?

He doesn't even have to plug anything in. He would be benefiting from the lighting and heating inside the school. That's a whole lot of theft just stepping foot in the door.

The advocacy group is the one quoting the 5cent figure; so it remains to be seen how far the courts are willing to go to charge him. Will they make up a figure on their own or will they use that 5cent figure?

 

[adj_noun]

Cop is going full Javert on him.

Imagine if he'd stolen a loaf of bread. Dude would be getting the chair.

 

[Mariolee]

This could get the case thrown out. That's an illegal search.

But otherwise this is theft.

Yes. It is theft. But it's the same kind of crime as going 66 in a 65 MPH zone. Maybe I'm misunderstanding something here.

 

[Zoe]

how is that theft and charging your phone isn't?

Who says it isn't?

 

[zma1013]

I don't understand why this couldn't be a simple ticket. See someone plugging their vehicle into some place they shouldn't, fine them $30 and have them pay whatever was used and be done with it. Arresting people is just over thinking it, not to mention the wasted resources here. This shouldn't be any more of an offense than parking on a street without putting money in the meter.