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Sat 14 Jun, 2008 07:58 am
TSU student jailed on bogus Wal-Mart forgery charge
By Jeremy Desel / 11 News
HOUSTON -- A college student's trip to Wal-Mart last month ended with her in handcuffs and a two-day stay in the Harris County jail.
Nitra Gipson was charged with felony forgery after the Meyer Park Wal-Mart manager accused her of passing bogus money orders. Thing is, the money orders were legit and had been purchased at Wal-Mart to begin with.
The cash-strapped college student had just sold her car to pay for her last two semesters at Texas Southern University, where she is studying criminal justice. She was paid with Wal-Mart money orders, which the giant retailer advertises as "good as cash."
In Gipson's case, they were as good as time behind bars.
"Humiliating is not the word for it," said Gipson. "I was horrified. I think they singled me out because of the amount of money that it was and (thought) I was trying to get over on them."
No manner of effort by Gipson to show that the money orders were legit worked. The store manager insisted she be charged.
The district attorney's office saw it differently. Charges were dropped after the money orders were verified when Gipson provided the purchase receipts.
But after spending 48 hours behind bars, the damage had already beeen done.
"Wal-Mart should be held responsible and accountable for letting this child go to jail for two days. All because she was doing what any customer of Wal-Mart should do," said community activist Quannel X.
Gipson said Wal-Mart then added insult to injury when she got a letter in the mail.
"I started to read it and thought, ?'Oh my God.' They are asking me to pay them when it was clearly their mistake," said Gipson.
The letter demanded Gipson pay Wal-Mart $200 to settle a shoplifting charge. It is a charge that never existed, though.
When 11 News contacted Wal-Mart officials they said they were looking into the case and would provide no further details.
The spokesperson did claim that the decision to pursue charges was up to the law enforcement officials on the scene. But the copy of the criminal complaint obtained by 11 News, shows that the store manager is who pressed charges.
I feel sorry for the kid, but what the hell? **** happens. If I were her, I would hire a lawyer, and sue the manager, and the corporation. I also would make sure that I was on one of the talk shows, and embarrassed Wal-Mart, so something like that would not happen again.
Re: Walmart Money Orders Can Put the Innocent in Jail
edgarblythe wrote:
The spokesperson did claim that the decision to pursue charges was up to the law enforcement officials on the scene. But the copy of the criminal complaint obtained by 11 News, shows that the store manager is who pressed charges.
This is a bit silly on the part of the writer/editor. The two are exclusive of each other. The store manager can't order the police to take someone into custody. The manager can press charges all they'd like but the police still have to investigate the charges and decide if an arrest is warranted or not.
But anyway, Walmart will be settling this one for a large chunk of change... and they should.
About all the police officers had to go on was the manager's word.
I smell several semesters at texas U.(on WalMart of course)
All they had to do was investigate whether the money orders really were from Walmart and ask the young woman to provide proof of purchase while they were all still in the store.
She needn't have been charged whatsoever. Why is it the prosecutors could understand but the police could not?
I agree with Phoenix and I hope she sues their ass.
Mame, you just don't go to the police for legal advice. Ever.
Well, even if they took her downtown to the station, they could have investigated there without charging her. Proof of purchase should have been sufficient.
She couldn't provide proof of purchase. She didn't purchase them, she accepted them as "cash" payment when she sold her car. Then she tried to use them as cash for purchases at Wal-Mart. The fact that they were originally purchased from Wal-Mart by the person who bought her car is irrelevant.
What a mess! I seldom advocate suing for emotional damages but I'd make an exception in this case.
This was what I was referring to:
"The district attorney's office saw it differently. Charges were dropped after the money orders were verified when Gipson provided the purchase receipts."
Could this not have been done at the store?
mebbe she had to track down the person who bought them to come up with the purchase receipts which took 48 hours... dunno.
But can you really stay behind bars - just because someone accuses you of passing bogus money orders? And without a court order?
Yes.
What if she hadn't been able to show proof of purchase?
How long would she have stayed there?
Walmart has corporate policy of no forgiveness when it comes to shoplifters and employee theft, and they have a top notch detection program. It is a profit issue for them. This mistake can not be separated from the corporate culture.
Obviously their dectection system is not top notch.
I'm wondering why she didn't have a bail hearing. Or, it's possible that she did have one and had no resources to pay her bond other than the money orders they confiscated at the time of her arrest. sheeeesh.
WOW!
I used to have to pay my rent by money order because bank of america took its slow ass time adding my landlords company to its automatic bill pay
( In fact they never did. . but that is beside the point)
So I would make a money order, then go to Compass Bank and deposit it into his account.
twice I was questioned on the validity of the money order.
Both times it was confirmed by phone call and the entire ordeal done with in less then about 25 minutes.
this case makes no sense to me.
Seems that there had been a similar case, with
Wachovia in the other one:
2 Blame Racial Profiling For Wrongful Arrest
6 figures and the first number aint a one.
You go girl. If Wally MArt has a hard ass policy that does not recognize its own mistakes, then it needs to learn the phrase "PUNITIVE DAMAGES"
hawkeye10 wrote:Walmart has / a top notch detection program.
that doesn't actually appear to be the case.
nasty company. I can hardly wait til their prices have to go up and up and up because of the cost of transporting all of their products from China.
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