Bizarre Soda Incident Leads To Lengthy jail Time

[White Rain]

Once again the kind of story I hate to see...was it right for him to steal another soda? Absolutely not...but compare what this man did to some of the sick child molesters who get no/little jail time out there....this makes me furious and disheartened.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/13188545/detail.html
MOBILE, Ala. -- There's no use crying over spilled milk, but spilled soda has been a nightmare for one man.

Eric Burns Overstreet was put in jail in September after entering the Mystik Stop and Shop, paying for a fountain drink and spilling three cups of it onto the floor.

The first time he spilled the soda, Overstreet went to fetch a mop and began cleaning up the mess. In the process, he spilled a second and a third soft drink.

Overstreet, who at one point put a yellow "Wet Floor" warning sign out as he mopped, was chased down by a clerk when he grabbed another soft drink and left without paying for it.

Overstreet pleaded guilty last week to a reduced charge of third-degree theft. He was given a one-year suspended sentence and ordered to stay out of the store.

Circuit Judge Rick Stout, noting that Overstreet had spent many months in jail over a carbonated beverage, said he hoped the soda was good.

Overstreet responded, "I should've had a V-8."

[txsvicki]

I don't see why he got theft if he spilled his beverage. Maybe some public disturbance charge if he was acting this way due to being drunk or something , but he did pay for his beverage. Some places that fix drinks throw away and spill lots of them due to getting the order wrong or being clumsy. You'd think they'd be more lenient and concentrate on rapists and child molesters.

[MagicRose99]

I don't see why he got theft if he spilled his beverage. Maybe some public disturbance charge if he was acting this way due to being drunk or something , but he did pay for his beverage. Some places that fix drinks throw away and spill lots of them due to getting the order wrong or being clumsy. You'd think they'd be more lenient and concentrate on rapists and child molesters.

He didn't just waste 3 drinks by spilling then on the floor...
<snip from first post>
"Overstreet, who at one point put a yellow "Wet Floor" warning sign out as he mopped, was chased down by a clerk when he grabbed another soft drink and left without paying for it."

And truth be told, one year isn't all that long. He broke the law - he pays.

[JanetElaine]

Once again the kind of story I hate to see...was it right for him to steal another soda? Absolutely not...but compare what this man did to some of the sick child molesters who get no/little jail time out there....this makes me furious and disheartened.

I just did some calculating on this. Stealing 37.5 sodas would get you, if punished with consecutive jail sentences (the time this man was in jail for this), the same sentence as the man who impregnated his 9 year old stepdaughter after raping her for years. I'm not saying anything.....

[gman20001969]

He paid for the first soda. He then spilt it. how did he spill a 2nd and 3rd is beyond me. But when he walked out, I would have said, "Now remember I paid for my first one. Are we cool?"

It should have been laughed out of court.

[packerdog]

To bad the store didn't give free refills.

[Masterj]

Wow. I am impressed that the guy actually CLEANED the mess himself rather than have the clerk do it. I was in a bar a couple of weeks ago when some guy and his friends stumbled in and the bartender wouldn't serve them. One guy went to use the bathroom and another ran for the door to throw up outside, except he missed and throw up all over the floor. And then he ran out of the bar and ran down the street. :furious: His friends came out laughing hysterically and tried to leave until Mr. Masterj grabbed the mop from the bartender and made the losers clean up their friend's puke.

Back to the topic, this sentence is a joke! I feel like there must be more to this story because it seems so unbelievable.

[angelmom]

Are you kidding? A year? For a soda?

A friend of mine lost her brother to a drunk/high driver who spent less time behind bars after pleading guilty b/c it was his first offense!

[Paladin]

Wow. I am impressed that the guy actually CLEANED the mess himself rather than have the clerk do it. I was in a bar a couple of weeks ago when some guy and his friends stumbled in and the bartender wouldn't serve them. One guy went to use the bathroom and another ran for the door to throw up outside, except he missed and throw up all over the floor. And then he ran out of the bar and ran down the street. :furious: His friends came out laughing hysterically and tried to leave until Mr. Masterj grabbed the mop from the bartender and made the losers clean up their friend's puke.

Back to the topic, this sentence is a joke! I feel like there must be more to this story because it seems so unbelievable.

I like Mr. Masterj me thinks.

[White Rain]

He didn't just waste 3 drinks by spilling then on the floor...
<snip from first post>
"Overstreet, who at one point put a yellow "Wet Floor" warning sign out as he mopped, was chased down by a clerk when he grabbed another soft drink and left without paying for it."

And truth be told, one year isn't all that long. He broke the law - he pays.


Have you ever been in jail? I just recently did 3 days, and trust me those 3 days felt like a year, so I can only imagine how long a year felt.

[MeoW333]

This is ridiculous, he cleaned up the first spill himself. Maybe he was just really clumsy. The proper sentence if any would be just fine him, the payment for all 3 sodas. I don't understand some of these judges..

[KarlK]

Are you kidding? A year? For a soda?

Well, it's a suspended sentence and pretty much par for the course if the guy had priors either in petty theft or disorderly conduct, which I suspect he did, but that was probably left out by the media for shock value.

[dingo]

Maybe Eric had a medical condition which made it difficult for him to hold the soda.
He was willing to clean up his own mess which indicates hs wasnt spilling the sodas on purpose.
Dont sweat the small stuff is my thoughts on this story.