Legal Commentary

Stupid Prosecution of the Week

By Jeralyn

In Idaho, the feds are charging a woman with a crime that carries up to 6 months in jail for spilling a soda.

U.S. Attorney Tom Moss plans to bring two charges against Natalie Walters, 39, stemming from an Aug. 20 incident at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Idaho Statesman reports. If convicted, she could face up to six months in federal prison on each count.

Walters, who routinely takes her father to the Boise hospital for treatment, said there is no posted price for soda refills at the center's cafeteria, and she's typically charged between $1 and $1.50 for filling her mug, according to the paper. On Aug. 20, she was charged $3.80, which lead to the dispute and Walters dumping the soda on the cafeteria counter.

Walters is charged with three misdemanors: [More...]

Natalie Walters, 39, has been charged with one count of larceny of government property and two counts of disturbance by impeding the performance of official duties of government employees.

She wasn't arrested on the spot. They didn't know who she was. But, the incident was tape recorded.

Walters said authorities used recorded images to determine why she was there, and the next day an official asked her father to have his daughter contact the hospital.

"They accessed my father's medical records to find out his next appointment to try and find me," she said. "I think that is a (federal health privacy law) violation. Medical records are private. They should not have used a veteran's medical records to find me. My dad was upset. He could not believe it."

What a stupid waste of resources.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 19, 2008 (boomark / email).