Posted on 01/23/2008 11:31:08 AM PST by HD1200
CLEARWATER - The 75-year-old grandmother who was arrested Thursday at a McDonald's on a charge of disorderly conduct gave an officer lip, according to a police report. Jean Merola swore at the officer and said, "You are an evil man. Your wife is going to divorce you. Your kids probably hate you too. You are going to hell," according to the report.
Officer Matthew Parco was behind Merola in line and had received his drink; he asked her to move up so he could get around her but she didn't respond. Parco spent about 20 minutes asking Merola to move the car before she was arrested.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Fries without salt ALWAYS takes more time. They told her to move to the side but her big canoe still blocked the drive thru
What were his rights? What was the law being violated?
There may have been a law violated, but the information provided in this story doesn't show one. Did the store call police and ask her to be arrested for trespassing?
Obstructing the flow of traffic.
I will have to remember that one when I become demented in my old age; I will just tell my kids I am retaining my spirit.....if I can remember that many words.
He didn’t want to wait for her to get her fries.
What a prick, emblematic of a completely selfish society.
as i understand it, i dont think wacdonalds owns the parking lot around it. its either public or owned by whoever owns the strip mall that was probably behind wacdonalds.
the cop had every right to ask her to move because if she was blocking him, then that means she was blocking everyone else.
i just think shes a tool for trying to pull out the police chief card.
“A sad situation this lady put the police in due to her stubbornness.”
This whole story stinks...typical MSM garbage, I suspect.
To begin with, we can assume this is on private property.
The woman has every right to be as stubborn as she wants until the owner of the property complains. I see no mention of this.
This sounds more like a increasing example of the “jackbooted cop”.
I doubt that this story is anything like reality.
Why did it take 20 minutes for her to get her food, wouldn’t she have moved after getting her order. Why do cops go through drive-thrus? I think they were both a bit jerky and stubborn.
She sounds like a jerk. But what LAW did she break?
City of Clearwater Municipal Code 21.11(2)
(2) Obstruction of public places. It shall be unlawful for any person after first being warned by a law enforcement officer to willfully obstruct the free, convenient, and normal use of the Pinellas County Trail or of any public or quasipublic sidewalk, curb, bicycle path, walking area, mall or that portion of private property utilized for public use, so as to endanger the safe movement of pedestrians or vehicles thereon; and no person after being warned by a law enforcement officer shall willfully block or obstruct, or willfully prevent the free access to the entrance to any building open to the public.
Yes, the next time I am in a big hurry at the supermarket and don’t feel like waiting for the little old lady in front of me to count out her change one penny at a time, I should call the police and have her arrested.
Riiiiiiiight....
This officer was, without question, a very large Wal-Mart brand douche. However, when he demanded her license and registration, she refused. That will get you arrested, end of story.
False arrest for starters, if the cop did not have the right to arrest her. If he can come up with a viable claim that she violated a law that gave him the right to arrest her, then she has no case. The thing that a good news organization should report is, what was she arrested for, and what were the facts supporting that arrest. We don’t know.
City of Clearwater Municipal Code 21.11(2)
(2) Obstruction of public places. It shall be unlawful for any person after first being warned by a law enforcement officer to willfully obstruct the free, convenient, and normal use of the Pinellas County Trail or of any public or quasipublic sidewalk, curb, bicycle path, walking area, mall or that portion of private property utilized for public use, so as to endanger the safe movement of pedestrians or vehicles thereon; and no person after being warned by a law enforcement officer shall willfully block or obstruct, or willfully prevent the free access to the entrance to any building open to the public.
Completely untrue.
He wanted her to move up several inches so he could get around her and allow the party behind him - who was also waiting - to pick up their order.
She was the selfish one.
If this was what the officer arrested her for, he probably was justified. Her lawsuit will die.
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