Man arrested for using a $2 bill in Baltimore
Chris Spags This story is from 2005 but it just resurfaced on Reddit and it’s technically a holiday, so hey, let’s go with it. Baltimore native Mike Bolesta thought it’d be cute to pay off a $114 installation charge at a local Best Buy in 57 $2 bills. It was less cute when he found himself sent to jail.
Bolesta brought his son Christopher’s car to the local Best Buy for the installation of a new radio-CD player. He thought the $2 bills would be a payment, but also a tongue in cheek way of protest of Best Buy’s high installation charges.
He then found himself arrested in front of a store full of customers and sent to the Baltimore County lock-up facility where he was locked in handcuffs and leg irons for three hours while officials sorted out the case.
Bolesta told the Baltimore Sun his side of the story:
“When I bought the stereo player,” Bolesta explains, “the technician said it’d fit perfectly into my son’s dashboard. But it didn’t. So they called back and said they had another model that would fit perfectly, and it was cheaper. We got a $67 refund, which was fine. As long as it fit, that’s all.
“So we go back and pay for it, and they tell us to go around front with our receipt and pick up the difference in the cost. I ask about installation charges. They said, `No installation charge, because of the mix-up. Our mistake, no charge.’ Swell.
“But then, the next day, I get a call at home. They’re telling me, `If you don’t come in and pay the installation fee, we’re calling the police.’ Jeez, where did we go from them admitting a mistake to suddenly calling the police? So I say, `Fine, I’ll be in tomorrow.’ But, overnight, I’m starting to steam a little. It’s not the money — it’s the threat. So I thought, I’ll count out a few $2 bills.”
Bolesta was released after a Secret Service agent confirmed the authenticity of the money.
I don’t expect people working at Best Buy to be too familiar with the legalities of authorized tender or, for that matter, irony. But still, it seems like a bit of a stretch to chain some old white dude up for three hours because he paid with a wacky type of money.
That said, this guy seems like kind of a douche anyway. Oh wow, you used $2 forms of legal money. What a rebel! Your passive aggression really taught everyone a lesson! Judge Chris’s ruling: Beat everyone involved in this story violently with sacks of Sacagaweas.
A tale of customer service, justice and currency as funny as a $2 bill [Baltimore Sun]
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