Have you ever stolen powr?

tallyho8 · Dec 5, 2013

This man went to jail for stealing 5 cents worth of power. 'Theft of power' lands electric-car driver in jail - U.S. News

Not many of us have an electric car but most of us have cell phones. How many times have you plugged in your charger at an airport, school, library or any public or private building without seeking permission first? Did you know you could go to jail for it?

I plead guilty, especially at an airport.

jack707 · Dec 5, 2013

nope I never have

2LaneCruzer · Dec 5, 2013

tallyho8 said:
This man went to jail for stealing 5 cents worth of power. 'Theft of power' lands electric-car driver in jail - U.S. News

Not many of us have an electric car but most of us have cell phones. How many times have you plugged in your charger at an airport, school, library or any public or private building without seeking permission first? Did you know you could go to jail for it?

I plead guilty, especially at an airport.

The authorities have shown a complete lack of common sense in this instance. They have created an incident where none existed to prove a point that didn't need proving. Apparently the sheriff has no burglars, armed robbers, rapists or drug peddlers to worry about in his jurisdiction. If you need something on record, write the guy a ticket and go on about your business.

houstonscott · Dec 5, 2013

I think it's a good example to set. These people think they are going to just plug those cars in anywhere and steal power they have an other thing coming. Good for the police. HS

buickanddeere · Dec 5, 2013

Something doesn't jive. Why did they have to invade the man's car and read his mail? Instead of running the license plate ?

Egbert · Dec 5, 2013

An over-reaction to be sure. The school should have refused to prefer charges. The resulting chaos is wasting far more time and costing far more money than the offense.

Daver1963 · Dec 5, 2013

I see this happening more and more as electric cars become more prevalent. People will think that they can plug in anywhere they want and just get away with it. However, now that they've got the publicity they obviously wanted the charges should be dropped.

mikehaugen · Dec 5, 2013

I agree with HoustonScott... to a degree. I don't know how to say this without stereotyping, but the majority of the electric car owners right now are tree-huggers and many times have a elitist attitude. The technology is not quite cheap enough yet that very many people are buying them for economics. They think that they have a "right" to just charge wherever they want apparently and this man's statements kind of reinforce that. He still seems to be defending that he didn't do anything wrong.

However, arresting/jailing him may have been a little extreme and as mentioned a simple citation should have sufficed. The officer told him he was going to arrest him and came to his house later and arrested him. My guess is that the guy probably got an arrogant attitude which prompted further action.

I also don't think the officer had the right to look in the car at the guys mail. An ordinary citizen doing that could be considered trespassing, and who's to say that the mail laying on the seat belonged to the person that plugged the car into the school?

dmccarty · Dec 5, 2013

Does the amount really matter as long as the amount does not push one into a felony? If he had been driving a car and needed fuel would he have thought it was ok to stop at the gas station, put some fuel in his tank and driven off? Has he done this before and that is why some one called and an officer was sent. The guy was at a tennis practice on a Saturday. Why did he need to charge up his car? Did he not charge the car before before leaving home?

But Kamooneh said he believes he committed no crime. He said in his experience as an electric car driver, seeking permission was often an informal exchange and that he had never encountered a problem before.

“Of course I agree that theft is theft, what I don’t agree with is that every taking of something without permission is theft,” he said, adding that there was no one at the school to ask permission from at the time.

So he did not ask for permission to take the power. By his logic, I can go to his home when he is not there and fill up a tank full of water in my truck? After all he is not home, I am sure he would say yes, and it only will cost him a few cents.... And not "every taking of something without permission is theft."

Supporters say he only took a nickels worth of power. But has he done this before? How much power would he have taken if someone had not called law enforcement.

This reminds me of the guy who was given a huge fine for driving a car with Biodiesel he had made and thus had paid no fuel tax. He did not think he should pay the road tax and was miffed when he was caught and heavily fined. The officers dipping tanks were at a NASCAR race and they were checking diesels vehicles for using off road fuel. It is ok for the Biodiesel guy to cheat on his taxes but not the diesel pick ups or so said the tax cheat.

Later,
Dan