An Ohio store employee claims they were the unfortunate victim of a police sting operation, resulting in them selling cigarettes to a 17-year-old. In their post on r/legaladvice, OneLocoChocobo explained that their store has a policy of not requesting ID from those who look 30 or older. However, this worker accidentally sold a pack of cigarettes to a minor working with the police; the reasons were that it was busy, plus their shoulder injury was flaring up.
It wasn’t an hour after selling the cigarettes to the 17-year-old that officers approached the store clerk. They didn’t want answers; they wanted justice. “I was cornered by the police,” OneLocoChocobo recalled. The cops allegedly gave them a ticket and a court date, after which, one of them said, “it was in my best interest to plead guilty, or else things ‘might not turn out so good.’”
OneLocoChocobo says they’ve never committed a crime of any sort in their life, so this court summons was no less than terrifying. “I’m facing a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and I’m terrified of the fine and anything that could potentially happen to my record,” they expressed worriedly. Suggestions in the comments were overwhelmingly in agreement that this person get a lawyer as soon as possible.
Reddit Says a Lawyer Is Step Number One for this Ohio Store Clerk
“Get a lawyer before that court date, the officer telling you to plead guilty is not legal advice you should trust,” wrote a commenter, almost 5K Redditors upvoting in support. “Never take legal advice from a cop. His only interest is closing the case, and he’s allowed to lie to you to make that happen. Pleading guilty gives you a criminal record, and he knows that,” added a second.
Dozens upon dozens more shared the same sentiment: this policeman was a dangerous enemy in this plot. One user asked whether it was just the store clerk being called in or the store manager, to which OneLocoChocobo responded, “The cops never said anything about ticketing the store itself that I heard about.”
Another Redditor claiming to be a parent criticized OP for not demanding ID before selling the cigarettes, implying they were ultimately responsible for getting themself into this mess. In other words, excuses aside, side-stepping the law for convenience policies is typically not a good idea. That said, the Ohio store clerk has yet to update the post on how their court visit went.
