People Who Were Arrested For The Dumbest Reasons
There are a lot of dumb arrests out there, but these may be the dumbest arrests ever. People get arrested all the time for doing the stupidest things, and for doing smart but still illegal things. But that's nothing compared to the following fools, whose arrests will actually cause you to lose a bunch of brain cells. Just how low did they go? Where do we even begin?
Food fight turns violent
Taco Bell is typically a source of comfort and happiness...or at least much-needed sustenance after a long night out on the town. But for one Florida couple, it unexpectedly played a key role in a truly bizarre fight that eventually turned violent. According to AL.com, Suzanne Hurlvert, 51, and Carl Owen Smith, 65, began arguing over Smith's alleged alcoholism. During the fight, things got so heated that Hurlvert would up hitting Smith in the back of the head with a Taco Bell Burrito Supreme. Smith's retaliation? He went ahead and stabbed Hurlvert with a fork, then fled the scene until cops found him at a nearby bar. They both got booked on various battery charges. They also both deserve each other.
A truly bad hair day
According to the New York Post, David Davis slashed a man in the back right in the middle of getting his hair cut in a Stamford, Connecticut apartment in 2011. So the story goes, the man who allegedly got stabbed approached Davis aggressively, forcing Davis to use the scissors in self defense. Whatever happened, the report says Davis was found shortly after at a nearby apartment. He was then taken into police custody, resulting in what might be the most hilarious mug shot ever.
A very, very late fee
Remember when you'd forget to return your video to Blockbuster and your parents would flip out over having to pay the late fees? Well, North Carolina resident James Meyers took that experience to a whole new level when he was forced to turn himself in after forgetting to return VHS tape he rented 14 years earlier.
According to WSOC-TV, a completely dumb warrant was issued for Meyers' completely dumb arrest in 2002 after he rented and failed to return the disastrous Tom Green comedy, Freddy Got Fingered. Meyers only found out about the warrant in 2016 after he was pulled over by police for a broken tail light while driving his daughter to school. He was subsequently forced to turn himself into police custody, where he was charged with a class 3 misdemeanor. All of this sounds completely ridiculous...until you remember that Meyers actually rented Freddy Got Fingered.
Book 'em, Danno
What's worse than forgetting to return an old VHS tape? Apparently, forgetting to return a book to your local library. In 2013, KWTX reported that Texas resident Jory Enck was arrested for failing to return the GED study guide he borrowed from a library over three years prior. Enck's arrest was the result of a law enacted in Texas just months prior, which ruled that not returning your library books can be classified as theft, according to the Associated Press. Naturally, the dumb arrest turned Enck off of libraries for good. "[Next time], I think I will probably just purchase a book from Amazon," he said. Welcome to the 21st century, buddy.
The gun show
If you're at a bank and you see someone with a gun, the smart thing to do would be to alert someone, right? Connecticut resident Robert Gursky tried to do exactly that during a routine trip to the bank in 2013. Unfortunately, his plan went awry. According to the Hartford Courant, in his attempt to alert the teller about someone in the bank holding a weapon, Gursky simply said the word "gun," which, duh, caused everyone to freak out and alert the police.
The whole thing turned out to be an awkward misunderstanding. The dude holding the gun had obtained it legally, the report says. Even more embarrassing: Gursky still wound up getting charged with one count of breaching the peace.
Spaghetti uh-ohs
Here's something that will make you think twice about eating SpaghettiOs in your car. In 2014, a woman was arrested in Gainesville, Georgia, after cops suspected that a spoon found in her possession had methamphetamine residue on it. The woman, who claimed the residue was actually sauce from SpaghettiOs, spent about a month in jail before a crime lab confirmed that her story actually checked out. The charges against the woman were obviously dismissed. A subsequent report claimed the woman was considering suing the police and prosecutors.
DUI for TMI
It's bad enough to drink and drive. It's even worse to record your drunk-driving experience on social media. Such is the pathetic tale of Florida resident Whitney Beall, who recorded herself driving under the influence for all her followers to see on Periscope. "I really hope I don't get a DUI," she declared at one point, according to the Huffington Post. Naturally, normal people tipped off the police, who eventually found Beall and booked her on DUI charges.
Face-booked
Speaking of social media: if you somehow stumble upon your "most wanted" photo on Facebook, don't be stupid enough to "like" it. Take Montana resident Levi Charles Reardon, for example, who inexplicably "liked" his mugshot after seeing it posted to the Great Falls / Cascade County Crime Stoppers' Facebook page. The "like" inevitably helped police track down Reardon, who had been wanted on felony forgery charges, according to the Great Falls Tribune. On second thought: maybe just don't commit felony forgery.
A sex shop, unplugged
Around Christmas 2015, The Smoking Gun reported that a man in Florida was arrested for allegedly stealing two sex toys from an area sex shop. Not fun to have that dumb arrest on your record! The reason he did it: because he was too embarrassed to actually buy them, according to the report. Yeah, if you go buy them, you have to talk to the cashier. And what if people see you leaving the store? What if your neighbors see you coming home with a big bag? Good thing this stayed quiet.