# David Stewart Found Not Guilty (Accused of the McDonald's Strip Search Con) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 21, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153 "2007-02-21T22:46:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/1 "2007-02-21T22:46:30Z")
Previous [thread on the topic](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=339207) here. In brief: a man claiming to be a cop calls a McDonald’s restuarant and talks the manager into detaining one of her employees, an 18-year-old girl, on suspicion of theft. The pseudo-cop then orders the manager to perform a strip search, and continues the orders; the scene culminates with the manager’s fiance being ordered by a voice on the phone to spank the girl and demand oral sex from her, which he does. The entire episode is captured on the restaurant’s video security system. It ended when the manager called her supervisor, who the fake cop claimed was on the phone with him the whole time, and discovered she was asleep at home. The man arrested and charged with being the fake cop, a Florida resident named David Stewart, was found not guilty in November. I bring this up again because we had a pretty lively thread in 2005 about this case, and not any reaction to the acquittal. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/2 "2007-02-21T22:55:10Z")
I read that thread with interest. Any cite for the new report ? Why wasn’t the person who strip-searched the girl also charged? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/3 "2007-02-21T23:02:09Z")
Good night. Even if David Stewart is guilty (not having seen the evidence against him I can’t say), anyone who’d be stupid enough to either put up with this nonsense (try getting me to stand still while you strip-search me!) or actually obey it seems like the real criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/4 "2007-02-21T23:34:54Z")
I know there’s already been a call for a cite, but I’ll double it. Factiva, Yahoo News and Google News searches all turn up nothing on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/5 "2007-02-21T23:49:36Z")
[Wiki says](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_R._Stewart) > [@](#): > > A jury found Stewart not guilty.[3] [3] is a dead link :smack: ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/6 "2007-02-21T23:59:03Z")
[http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/NEWS01/603160403](http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/NEWS01/603160403) The man who abused the teen got five years. > **[Strip search phone call scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_R._Stewart)** > > The strip search phone call scam was a series of incidents, mostly occurring in rural areas of the United States, that extended over a period of at least ten years, starting in 1994. The incidents involved a man calling a restaurant or grocery store, claiming to be a police officer, and then convincing managers to conduct strip searches of employees (or at least in two known cases, a customer), and to perform other bizarre and humiliating acts on behalf of "the police". The calls were most ofte... Wiki says he was acquitted of all charges, Oct 31. > **[Strip-Search Case Closed?](https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2684890&page=1)** > > A young woman humiliated during her work day, and it was all caught on tape. Here’s the trial. Basically, the jury decided there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Stewart made the calls. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/7 "2007-02-22T12:49:42Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] I read that thread with interest. Any cite for the new report ? Why wasn’t the person who strip-searched the girl also charged? [/QUOTE] Really – surely he couldn’t possibly claim to have reasonably believed that the guy on the other end of the phone was actually a cop… ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/8 "2007-02-22T12:51:47Z")
[QUOTE=E-Sabbath] [http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/NEWS01/603160403](http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/NEWS01/603160403) The man who abused the teen got five years. > **[Strip search phone call scam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_R._Stewart)** > > The strip search phone call scam was a series of incidents, mostly occurring in rural areas of the United States, that extended over a period of at least ten years, starting in 1994. The incidents involved a man calling a restaurant or grocery store, claiming to be a police officer, and then convincing managers to conduct strip searches of employees (or, in at least two known cases, a customer), and to perform other bizarre and humiliating acts on behalf of "the police". The calls were most oft... Wiki says he was acquitted of all charges, Oct 31. > **[Strip-Search Case Closed?](https://abcnews.com/2020/story?id=2684890&page=1)** > > A young woman humiliated during her work day, and it was all caught on tape. Here’s the trial. Basically, the jury decided there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Stewart made the calls. [/QUOTE] OK; that makes more sense of it. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/9 "2007-02-22T12:57:15Z")
What crime could the person making the phone call actually been guilty of? The only thing that comes to mind is indecent phone call (or whatever the actual term for that is). ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/10 "2007-02-22T13:02:13Z")
Fraud? Impersonating an officer? Harassment? ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/11 "2007-02-22T13:12:52Z")
[QUOTE=Monty] What crime could the person making the phone call actually been guilty of? The only thing that comes to mind is indecent phone call (or whatever the actual term for that is). [/QUOTE] I believe the term in this case is spank call. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/12 "2007-02-22T14:11:10Z")
[QUOTE=Mellivora capensis] I believe the term in this case is spank call. [/QUOTE] Or a yank my crank call. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/13 "2007-02-22T14:20:56Z")
Wouldn’t that be “spank the skank” call? I know that’s just wrong, but I couldn’t resist the rhyming. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/14 "2007-02-22T16:53:10Z")
This prank is frankly rank. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/15 "2007-02-22T17:12:39Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] This prank is frankly rank. [/QUOTE] Ya thank? ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/16 "2007-02-22T17:13:28Z")
Ya thank? ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/17 "2007-02-22T17:14:30Z")
D’oh! I stank! And you can take that to the bank. ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/18 "2007-02-22T17:17:01Z")
ENOUGH!!! :mad: Damn Yanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/19 "2007-02-22T17:29:35Z")
Hey, it’s not our fault you’re shooting blanks. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153/20 "2007-02-22T18:57:15Z")
And anyway, who gored your flank? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-stewart-found-not-guilty-accused-of-the-mcdonalds-strip-search-con/393153.md?page=2)