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Eug Wanker · Apr 6, 2005, 09:57 PM

Yeah, the Secret Service isn't to be blamed on this one. It took him 3 hours to get there, but that seems reasonable.

I do wonder if the guy arrested was a bit billigerent though.

Kilbey · Apr 6, 2005, 10:13 PM

Originally posted by Xeo:
Actually, the police arrived to investigate and hauled the guy away in cuffs. So it isn't just Best Buy at fault. Police are civil servants, paid by tax dollars. Works of the government (however, I agree they aren't "the country").

The man might not have been on his best behavior.

As soon as BB asked him to leave he was trespassing. They would have been right to have arrested him if this was the case.

What I can be sure of, is that none of us has the complete story.

Xeo · Apr 6, 2005, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by Kilbey:
The man might not have been on his best behavior.

As soon as BB asked him to leave he was trespassing. They would have been right to have arrested him if this was the case.

What I can be sure of, is that none of us has the complete story.

My point is that the police were involved as much as Best Buy was. And the police are attached to the government on some level.

Zimphire · Apr 7, 2005, 12:10 AM

I guess you could rationalize anything..

mitchell_pgh · Apr 7, 2005, 12:48 AM

Slow news day? This article has the perfect ingredients for a "OMG OMG OMG!!!!" article.

- Best Buy (everyone hates big retail)
- A "funny" story with a sympathetic "average joe" that turns tragic
- Police (everyone loves to hate the police)

The story wouldn't have been given a second thought if it had been titled "Person wrongly arrested for using counterfeit money"

No offense, but if someone tried to pay me with a bunch of smudged $2 bills, I would give it a second glance as well (how many of you have seen a fist full of $2 bills?). (ps. most Best Buys have the counterfeit pen that tells if it's a fake or not)

Just my 2�

Kilbey · Apr 7, 2005, 12:48 AM

Originally posted by Xeo:
My point is that the police were involved as much as Best Buy was. And the police are attached to the government on some level.

And my point was we really have no idea why he was really arrested. The $2 bill thing might have simply been the initial call, but the man may have become belligerent and possibly accused of trespassing.

Of course none of this disqualifies the fact that 99% of all Best Buy employees are nincompoops.

phantomdragonz · Apr 7, 2005, 01:51 AM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
(ps. most Best Buys have the counterfeit pen that tells if it's a fake or not)

I am a cashier, and I have one of those counterfeit pens at my disposal, but I dont ever use it because it's ********. the way it works is you mark the bill, and if it's brownish it's good, and if it's dark brownish it's suspect... the thing is that if someone washes a 5$ bill and prints a $100 over it, it will pass it. It happened to one of our employees, dident find out till the next day...

those pens are ********, better to know about the watermarks and the microprint, I check every $100 bill, just because I hate my stuckup customers...

I need a new job.

Zach

Arty50 · Apr 7, 2005, 01:55 AM

Edit: Darnit...messed up and double posted.

Arty50 · Apr 7, 2005, 01:58 AM

Originally posted by Kilbey:
As soon as BB asked him to leave he was trespassing. They would have been right to have arrested him if this was the case.

He can't be trespassing if they asked him to come in. And by their logic, if he left without paying he would be stealing.

tooki · Apr 7, 2005, 02:07 AM

Bah, that's the Best Buy store I used to shop at back when I lived up in Towson. Always staffed by buffoons... oh wait, I guess that applies to all of the stores...

But yeah, I have to agree it wasn't the Secret Service's fault -- it was the store and the county cops.

Not to mention that, as far as I can tell, Best Buy's threat of calling the police was empty: the police don't work to collect debts. Best Buy would have to sue or send it to a collection agency.

tooki

Xeo · Apr 7, 2005, 02:27 AM

Originally posted by Kilbey:
And my point was we really have no idea why he was really arrested. The $2 bill thing might have simply been the initial call, but the man may have become belligerent and possibly accused of trespassing.

Of course none of this disqualifies the fact that 99% of all Best Buy employees are nincompoops.

My new point is that I don't get how your point applies to my original point.

I wasn't arguing that he shouldn't have been arrested.

Originally posted by Zimphire:
I guess you could rationalize anything..

Is that in response to me, and if so, what exactly do you think I am rationalizing?

Deimos · Apr 7, 2005, 07:14 AM

Amazing how a mere accusation of something allows the police to shackle a person.

That is ****ed up.

I'm not an American, but where I come from, that kind of **** would not be tolerated.

Deimos · Apr 7, 2005, 07:16 AM

I agree with Xeo in regards to his statements on the police. They are either going above what is reasonable, or the laws they are upholding are ****ed if they can do what they did to that person.

moonmonkey · Apr 7, 2005, 07:30 AM

Originally posted by storer:
I'm glad I live in Australia.

i'm glad you live there too.

Deimos · Apr 7, 2005, 07:39 AM

Originally posted by moonmonkey:
i'm glad you live there too.

Australia is a nice place to live (I spend around half the year there in Adelaide), but just like the UK, it looks like the Government is scarily adopting US-type laws which undermine civil liberties.

Aus. isn't so bad right now, certainly not as screwed up as some of the laws the UK are trying to introduce, but Howard (the Bush ass-licker) is a man I don't trust.

We'll see...

theolein · Apr 7, 2005, 08:33 AM

I don't know what the whole story is either, but I can see Mr. Bolesta, if he's even only half intelligent, suing both Best Buy (for refusing to take legal currency) and the local police (for wrongful arrest). He should be able to make a tidy packet if the story is as it seems. If it isn't, it'll come out in court. I doubt he was belligerent though, or you can be sure it would have been mentioned in the article.

Buckaroo · Apr 7, 2005, 09:25 AM

Originally posted by theolein:
I don't know what the whole story is either, but I can see Mr. Bolesta, if he's even only half intelligent, suing both Best Buy (for refusing to take legal currency) and the local police (for wrongful arrest). He should be able to make a tidy packet if the story is as it seems. If it isn't, it'll come out in court. I doubt he was belligerent though, or you can be sure it would have been mentioned in the article.

I don't think he can sue anyone for refusing to take legal currency, he can sue Best Buy for unlawful arrest, and sue the city for the same.

Kilbey · Apr 7, 2005, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by Arty50:
He can't be trespassing if they asked him to come in. And by their logic, if he left without paying he would be stealing.

He wasn't trespassing when he walked in, but if at any moment they ever ask him to leave he has to or be charged with trespassing.

Originally posted by tooki:
Not to mention that, as far as I can tell, Best Buy's threat of calling the police was empty: the police don't work to collect debts. Best Buy would have to sue or send it to a collection agency.

Oisín · Apr 7, 2005, 10:22 AM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
Just my $2 bill

Fixed

Garage81 · Apr 7, 2005, 10:51 AM

what logic could ever derive that this is america's fault, you asshats.

sucks for the dude, but im really hoping there is more to the story.

budster101 · Apr 7, 2005, 11:00 AM

Originally posted by Garage81:
what logic could ever derive that this is america's fault, you asshats.

sucks for the dude, but im really hoping there is more to the story.

I found this story about it:

LINK

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Apr 7, 2005, 02:44 PM

"For Baltimore County police, said spokesman Bill Toohey, "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

What in the name of living in fear does 9/11 have to do with best but, terrorism or $2 bills?

deej5871 · Apr 7, 2005, 03:20 PM

Originally posted by phantomdragonz:
I am a cashier, and I have one of those counterfeit pens at my disposal, but I dont ever use it because it's ********. the way it works is you mark the bill, and if it's brownish it's good, and if it's dark brownish it's suspect... the thing is that if someone washes a 5$ bill and prints a $100 over it, it will pass it. It happened to one of our employees, dident find out till the next day...

those pens are ********, better to know about the watermarks and the microprint, I check every $100 bill, just because I hate my stuckup customers...

I need a new job.

Zach

I'm sure that's so, but the most you could make doing that and making $2 bills out of it would be a dollar per bill

. I doubt anyone would waste their time for that. So I think that the pen would have been a satisfactory test of the bills in this situation.

Garage81 · Apr 7, 2005, 03:27 PM

"It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

he's setting a good example for taking responsibility for your actions.

JohnSmithXTREME · Apr 7, 2005, 03:34 PM

Originally posted by Garage81:
"It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

he's setting a good example for taking responsibility for your actions.

What does that mean? That the police chief was irresponsible by trying to tie in terrorism with stroppy dads who use $2 for their best buy purchases?

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Apr 7, 2005, 03:43 PM

Originally posted by Garage81:
"It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

he's setting a good example for taking responsibility for your actions.

That makes even less sence.

So if anyone is a total idiot now they can whine "9/11" and all will be understood.

macroy · Apr 7, 2005, 04:10 PM

Originally posted by Garage81:
"It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

he's setting a good example for taking responsibility for your actions.

no - that's a lame ass excuse. Seems to me he's trying to justify the departments actions with something that has very little to do with the situation.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Apr 7, 2005, 04:13 PM

Originally posted by macroy:
no - that's a lame ass excuse. Seems to me he's trying to justify the departments actions with something that has very little to do with the situation.

Which is my point. It has been a joke for the past 2 years how every damn company that goes bankrupt blames 9-11. I mean they can sell mellon ballers, go bust and blame 9-11.

mitchell_pgh · Apr 7, 2005, 04:19 PM

Originally posted by phantomdragonz:
I am a cashier, and I have one of those counterfeit pens at my disposal, but I dont ever use it because it's ********. the way it works is you mark the bill, and if it's brownish it's good, and if it's dark brownish it's suspect... the thing is that if someone washes a 5$ bill and prints a $100 over it, it will pass it. It happened to one of our employees, dident find out till the next day...

those pens are ********, better to know about the watermarks and the microprint, I check every $100 bill, just because I hate my stuckup customers...

I need a new job.

Zach

You can also bleach the bill, but very few people know about that. Anyway, only a FOOL would print fake $100 bills. Everyone checks out a $100 bill, but nobody gives a second glances to a $20 bill.

It's a good thing I'm honest

Deimos · Apr 7, 2005, 04:28 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
"For Baltimore County police, said spokesman Bill Toohey, "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

What in the name of living in fear does 9/11 have to do with best but, terrorism or $2 bills?

It allows the Government and law "enforcement" to do as they please while under the guise that it's for the benefit of society.

phantomdragonz · Apr 7, 2005, 04:37 PM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
You can also bleach the bill, but very few people know about that. Anyway, only a FOOL would print fake $100 bills. Everyone checks out a $100 bill, but nobody gives a second glances to a $20 bill.

thats why $20 are the most counterfeited bills...

wash, bleach... same thing. yeah, he was a fool, but he got away with it, most of the businesses in our area got hit, we only found out because the business next to ours came over and asked us if we had a fake $100, sure enough we did.

apparently he used the distraction technique, asking a lot of questions and talking the the cashier. before that incident we never really used the pens.

ALSO, cashiers handle a lot of money everyday, we know what it feels like, if it was ever printed on something that was not the real paper we should be able to notice. it felt real, the cashier was distracted and the guy got away with it, we have since been much more careful...

and deej5871, i realize that there would only be a small pointless profit on a fake $2, but my point was just that the pens are not very reliable, and they are a pain to use, for example, they will give a passing mark to newsprint, but most normal paper will get the dark line, not the somewhat dark line...

Zach

Angus_D · Apr 7, 2005, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by KeriVit:
Woah! Relax! Leave demo alone. He's not an idiot. A correction is fine.

He's an idiot because he replied with "No ****".

Will V. · Apr 7, 2005, 05:07 PM

Originally posted by Kilbey:

As soon as BB asked him to leave he was trespassing. They would have been right to have arrested him if this was the case.

I don't think that was in the story, where did you hear Best Buy asked him to leave?

For the record, he would not have been trespassing "as soon as" Best Buy asked him to leave, if, indeed, they did ask him to leave. He would have been trespassing if he did not leave, after having been asked to leave.

Also for the record, I think I would have a hard time being on my "best behavior" if Best Buy treated me like they treated him.

Kilbey · Apr 7, 2005, 05:30 PM

Originally posted by Will V.:
I don't think that was in the story, where did you hear Best Buy asked him to leave?

For the record, he would not have been trespassing "as soon as" Best Buy asked him to leave, if, indeed, they did ask him to leave. He would have been trespassing if he did not leave, after having been asked to leave.

Also for the record, I think I would have a hard time being on my "best behavior" if Best Buy treated me like they treated him.

That's my point. We don't have the whole story. And I doubt we ever will.

Will V. · Apr 7, 2005, 05:57 PM

Originally posted by Kilbey:
That's my point. We don't have the whole story. And I doubt we ever will.

No, I think your point was to introduce FUD regarding the credibility of the customer. I mean, maybe the cops arrested him after he pulled a gun, and threatened to kidnap the cashier? It wasn't in the story, but, as you say, we don't have the whole story.

Xeo · Apr 7, 2005, 06:06 PM

Originally posted by budster101:
I found this story about it:

LINK

That is the link from the first post.

Kenneth · Apr 7, 2005, 06:35 PM

any picture?

sminch · Apr 7, 2005, 09:23 PM

'For Baltimore County police, said spokesman Bill Toohey, "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."'

wtf? he was paying for the installation of a car stereo with $2 bills! even if they were counterfeit, what the hell has that got to do with terrorism???

sounds like the cops really need a lesson in taking responsibility for their actions.

sminch

Zimphire · Apr 7, 2005, 09:30 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
"For Baltimore County police, said spokesman Bill Toohey, "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

What in the name of living in fear does 9/11 have to do with best but, terrorism or $2 bills?

poop falls downhill.

Kilbey · Apr 8, 2005, 03:09 AM

Originally posted by Will V.:
No, I think your point was to introduce FUD regarding the credibility of the customer. I mean, maybe the cops arrested him after he pulled a gun, and threatened to kidnap the cashier? It wasn't in the story, but, as you say, we don't have the whole story.

And your contribution was... ?

Exactly. Nothing.

Eriamjh · Apr 8, 2005, 07:28 AM

I pay for things with $2 bills all the time and NOT ONCE has anyone ever thought they were fake or not know of their existence.

budster101 · Apr 8, 2005, 09:58 AM

Originally posted by Xeo:
That is the link from the first post.

Oh. I never read first posts.

Will V. · Apr 8, 2005, 10:36 AM

Originally posted by Kilbey:
And your contribution was... ?

Exactly. Nothing.

Actually, look on the first page.

However, in your case, it would have been better if you had said nothing, because that's exactly what your posts in this thread are worth.