TSU student jailed on bogus Wal-Mart forgery charge
By Jeremy Desel / 11 News
HOUSTON -- "A college student’s trip to Wal-Mart last month ended with her in handcuffs and a two-day stay in the Harris County jail.
Nitra Gipson was charged with felony forgery after the Meyer Park Wal-Mart manager accused her of passing bogus money orders. Thing is, the money orders were legit and had been purchased at Wal-Mart to begin with.
The cash-strapped college student had just sold her car to pay for her last two semesters at Texas Southern University, where she is studying criminal justice. She was paid with Wal-Mart money orders, which the giant retailer advertises as “good as cash.”
In Gipson’s case, they were as good as time behind bars.
“Humiliating is not the word for it,” said Gipson. “I was horrified. I think they singled me out because of the amount of money that it was and (thought) I was trying to get over on them.”
No manner of effort by Gipson to show that the money orders were legit worked. The store manager insisted she be charged.
The district attorney’s office saw it differently. Charges were dropped after the money orders were verified when Gipson provided the purchase receipts.
But after spending 48 hours behind bars, the damage had already beeen done.
“Wal-Mart should be held responsible and accountable for letting this child go to jail for two days. All because she was doing what any customer of Wal-Mart should do,” said community activist Quannel X.
Gipson said Wal-Mart then added insult to injury when she got a letter in the mail.
“I started to read it and thought, ‘Oh my God.’ They are asking me to pay them when it was clearly their mistake,” said Gipson.
The letter demanded Gipson pay Wal-Mart $200 to settle a shoplifting charge. It is a charge that never existed, though.
When 11 News contacted Wal-Mart officials they said they were looking into the case and would provide no further details.
The spokesperson did claim that the decision to pursue charges was up to the law enforcement officials on the scene. But the copy of the criminal complaint obtained by 11 News, shows that the store manager is who pressed charges."
Now, for those that don't know, this arrest will be reported. She is already in in NCIC (National Crime Information Center-run by the FBI, available to law enforcement and private agencies) and places like ChoicePoint. In the new Amerika, an arrest (guilty or not, charges dropped or not) can keep one from getting a job.
I recommend that everyone read "Arrest-Proof Yourself: An Ex-Cop Reveals How Easy It Is for Anyone to Get Arrested, How Even a Single Arrest Could Ruin Your Life, and What to Do If the Police Get in Your Face".
From a website about Wally World:
By Jeremy Desel / 11 News
HOUSTON -- "A college student’s trip to Wal-Mart last month ended with her in handcuffs and a two-day stay in the Harris County jail.
Nitra Gipson was charged with felony forgery after the Meyer Park Wal-Mart manager accused her of passing bogus money orders. Thing is, the money orders were legit and had been purchased at Wal-Mart to begin with.
The cash-strapped college student had just sold her car to pay for her last two semesters at Texas Southern University, where she is studying criminal justice. She was paid with Wal-Mart money orders, which the giant retailer advertises as “good as cash.”
In Gipson’s case, they were as good as time behind bars.
“Humiliating is not the word for it,” said Gipson. “I was horrified. I think they singled me out because of the amount of money that it was and (thought) I was trying to get over on them.”
No manner of effort by Gipson to show that the money orders were legit worked. The store manager insisted she be charged.
The district attorney’s office saw it differently. Charges were dropped after the money orders were verified when Gipson provided the purchase receipts.
But after spending 48 hours behind bars, the damage had already beeen done.
“Wal-Mart should be held responsible and accountable for letting this child go to jail for two days. All because she was doing what any customer of Wal-Mart should do,” said community activist Quannel X.
Gipson said Wal-Mart then added insult to injury when she got a letter in the mail.
“I started to read it and thought, ‘Oh my God.’ They are asking me to pay them when it was clearly their mistake,” said Gipson.
The letter demanded Gipson pay Wal-Mart $200 to settle a shoplifting charge. It is a charge that never existed, though.
When 11 News contacted Wal-Mart officials they said they were looking into the case and would provide no further details.
The spokesperson did claim that the decision to pursue charges was up to the law enforcement officials on the scene. But the copy of the criminal complaint obtained by 11 News, shows that the store manager is who pressed charges."
Now, for those that don't know, this arrest will be reported. She is already in in NCIC (National Crime Information Center-run by the FBI, available to law enforcement and private agencies) and places like ChoicePoint. In the new Amerika, an arrest (guilty or not, charges dropped or not) can keep one from getting a job.
I recommend that everyone read "Arrest-Proof Yourself: An Ex-Cop Reveals How Easy It Is for Anyone to Get Arrested, How Even a Single Arrest Could Ruin Your Life, and What to Do If the Police Get in Your Face".
From a website about Wally World:
You may have a reason to hate Walmart or many reasons to hate Walmart. From all the illegal immigrants that work and shop there to the screaming children who haven't been taught by obnoxious parents how to behave in public. From the employees who act like they are being inconvenienced to help you, the paying customer, to the "greeter" who treats you like a thief when you are leaving the store, there are many reasons to hate Walmart. You may be an employee who has been mistreated by an uneducated "manager" or male co-workers who don't really believe that you DON'T like having them slap you on the (rear-end).
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