A man from Colorado is seeking legal counsel after being slapped with felony charges for innocently moving a cart pusher out of his way.
A post captioned “Felony charge after moving cart pusher machine” was shared on Reddit, highlighting the unusual case. The post, shared by the accused, detailed the incident that took place in the parking lot of a grocery store.
The accused stated that he was getting ready to embark on a new phase in his life, a new job. Yet, it was just “one of those days where everything seems to go wrong.” He shared that after shopping for groceries, he got in his car and attempted to drive away.
However, he realized that a cart attendant had placed a cart pusher right behind his vehicle, and it was blocking his way. The man couldn’t get the attention of the car attendant, so he got out of his car and decided to push the machine out of the way.
“My temper and patience were already lost, so I got out of the car to push the small machine out of the way so I could leave without blowing up at anybody, except the wheels were locked. The machine isn’t very heavy so by trying to roll it forward I was basically picking the back half up, so I pivoted it forward and laid it down so I could leave. Angry as I was, I had no intentions of damaging the machine or causing an argument with the attendant.”
Believing he had sidestepped any commotion, the accused quietly left the scene. But barely an hour later, he got a call from the police, saying he had to fill out some paperwork about what happened with the car pusher. Not wanting any trouble, he returned to the scene, only to be told that he was under arrest for a class six felony. The police further said that the reason for his arrest was that the machine was no longer working and it cost over $5,000.
In the man’s narration, he mentions that when he took a look at the machine, it appeared to be in good condition except for a few scratches that were obviously from wear and tear.
The accused brought the incident to Reddit, hoping to get some legal advice on how best to proceed. He revealed that he has no criminal record except that he was arrested once a few years ago for failing to present himself at traffic court.
Numerous social media users responded to the poster’s story. Some pointed out that he may have been scammed because there is a possibility the machine was already damaged before he touched it. One user commented, “Get a lawyer. You’re being scammed, and they’re using the color of the law to do it. Essentially, they’re trying to extort you for a new machine.
Another user remarked, “…They’re trying to get the OP to foot the bill for their broken machine.”
One user advised the accused never to go back to the scene in the future. “If you hadn’t gone back to the scene, you likely wouldn’t be facing this issue. In the future, NEVER talk to the police voluntarily.”
Others believe that the poster may have downplayed how he moved the machine, pointing out that he may have “Hulk-slammed it in a fit of rage.”
Notably, the man’s court date is scheduled for later this week. He plans to begin with a public defender before retaining a personal lawyer. However, he is still seeking advice on the best course of action, fearing he may exhaust his savings just to afford legal support.
