"Shoplifter" loses job in soda-refill dispute with VA
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. - Free refills are not on the menu at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration hospital in Charleston, where, according to CBS affiliate WCSC, a man who admitted he took a second soda without paying for it was given a ticket by federal police - and a $525 fine.
The soda cost 89-cents.
The station reports that Christopher Lewis, a construction worker on-site at the medical center, ultimately will not have to pay the hefty fine, and will only receive a warning. Still, Johnson says he lost his job in the refill fracas.
Here's how it apparently went down.
On Wednesday, during his lunch hour, Lewis says he did indeed take a second glass of soda without paying for it, something he admits he has done on numerous occasions. According to a hospital spokesperson, there are signs in the cafeteria making it clear that refills aren't free - signs Lewis says he never noticed.
But this time, after he went back for seconds, a man who identified himself as the chief of police, stopped him.
"As I was filling my cup up, I turned to walk off and a fella grabbed me by the arm and asked me was I going to pay for that, and I told him I wasn't aware that I had to pay for that," Lewis told WCSC. He says he even tried to pay the $0.89 right there, but wasn't allowed to. He says he wasn't given the chance to pay the cashier, either.
"I never had an option to make right what I had done wrong," he told the station. Lewis says he was taken to a room, given a $525 ticket for shoplifting and told not to return to the property.
According to WCSC, the ticket was issued by the Federal Police Force at the VA medical facility. On Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman called the soda matter a "theft of government property."
She said it was her understanding that Lewis was aggressive during the confrontation.
The medical center's statement said the hospital is "fortunate to have a highly trained Federal police force to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors and employees....Today a Federal citation was issued for shoplifting in the VA cafeteria to an individual who stated to VA police he had not paid for refills of beverages on multiple occasions, even though signs are posted in the cafeteria informing patrons refills are not free. Shoplifting is a crime."
Lewis said he was all set to challenge the fine in federal court. "I want everybody to know that I made a simple mistake, that I'm not a thief, that I'm not dishonest. I'm trying to do the right thing."
By the time Thursday came and went, the story had taken a different turn.
A new statement from the Veterans Administration said the $525 shoplifting fine is no more.
"In reviewing the case, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center has determined a warning in lieu of a citation is sufficient in this case," the release said.
Still, Lewis insists, he remains out of work, telling WCSC: "I'm done there, at the VA hospital. I'm not allowed to go on the premises anymore."