# We fucked up the contract..so we call the cops and say you stole it.... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 4, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644 "2012-10-04T00:40:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/21 "2012-10-04T16:50:05Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > It’s in the link that you provided… Ah, missed that. Trespassing? On a business property where the public is invited? When what he was doing is legal? Seems odd. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/22 "2012-10-04T17:36:23Z")
Yeah, but if you’re told to leave a company’s premises even though you’re doing legal things, you’d best fuck on off the moment they start getting the notion to call the cops. They have the right to refuse to provide you with service at any time, and if (as I suspect) they thought the “customer” was price-checking for a rival chain or something, it might well have been in their perceived best interest to oust him from the store. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/23 "2012-10-04T17:38:04Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Ah, missed that. Trespassing? On a business property where the public is invited? When what he was doing is legal? Seems odd. It’s definitely odd, but if a store asks you to leave, you need to leave - otherwise it is trespassing. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/24 "2012-10-04T17:38:56Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Ah, missed that. Trespassing? On a business property where the public is invited? When what he was doing is legal? Seems odd. They presumably asked him to leave (“we have the right to refuse service to anybody”) and he refused. At that point, I’m pretty sure it’s trespassing. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/25 "2012-10-04T17:39:57Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > 4 hours in jail isn’t worth a 2.2 million dollar paycheck. I disagree. To be deprived of liberty, even for a few hours, to be taken into custody under false pretenses should be worth every dime that company has or ever will have. And whoever filed the report should do jail time. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/26 "2012-10-04T18:17:11Z")
> [@Enkel](#): > > Someone at the dealership should be prosecuted for filing a false complaint. That is a criminal offense and the police are not there to settle that business’ screw ups. It occurs to me that if the police are ever called down there for an _actual_ stolen car, they may ask a few stern questions first. “Boy Who Cried Wolf” is a famous fable for a reason. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/27 "2012-10-04T18:46:45Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Ah, missed that. Trespassing? On a business property where the public is invited? When what he was doing is legal? Seems odd. They couldn’t have arrested him just for entering the property because it was a public place. But they can ask him to leave and if he refuses, then it’s trespassing. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/28 "2012-10-04T20:23:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They couldn’t have arrested him just for entering the property because it was a public place. But they can ask him to leave and if he refuses, then it’s trespassing. But they didn’t ask him to leave-they asked him to _come back_. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/29 "2012-10-04T20:31:44Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I don’t understand why the arrest happened at all. Either the dealership employee told more than a few lies to the police or the police fucked up the investigation pretty bad, right? A car dealership can’t just declare a car stolen and sic the police on someone without the police asking a few questions, I’d hope. You’d hope. My stepson was arrested because neighbors reported people vandalizing cars (not him). He was out having a smoke with a friend next to the car we just bought him so it had the previous owner’s name in the database since Colorado hadn’t processed the paperwork. Police run the VIN apparently unaware that there are temp tags on the car. “My mom just bought it. Here’s the paperwork.” “We don’t need to look at that.” Night in jail and car impounded. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/30 "2012-10-04T21:46:05Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > It’s definitely odd, but if a store asks you to leave, you need to leave - otherwise it is trespassing. Actually, according to the link, he was found innocent. Best Buy can lick my anus, incidentally. I don’t even want to shop there now. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/31 "2012-10-04T23:39:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > But they didn’t ask him to leave-they asked him to _come back_. No they didn’t. > [@](#): > > The store also called police. When Kahlow refused to leave, he was arrested on a trespassing charge. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/32 "2012-10-04T23:57:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > But they didn’t ask him to leave-they asked him to _come back_. Not the car dealership guy, the Best Buy guy. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/33 "2012-10-05T00:19:00Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > 4 hours in jail isn’t worth a 2.2 million dollar paycheck. I think when everyone looking at the lawsuit says “damn, that guy sure was lucky to have that horrible thing happen to him,” the damages being sought might be a liiiiittle bit high. Even assuming the amount isn’t reduced, much of the point is to discourage a repeat of the offense. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/34 "2012-10-05T00:23:10Z")
Unless the manager had a propensity for randomly calling the cops on customers, I doubt the award will do much to prevent a recurrence. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/35 "2012-10-05T00:28:52Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > It occurs to me that if the police are ever called down there for an _actual_ stolen car, they may ask a few stern questions first. “Boy Who Cried Wolf” is a famous fable for a reason. They should have asked the questions no matter what, which is why I speculated that either the guy at the dealership told one huge whopper or the police dropped the ball. “How do you know that this person stole the car?” should have been the very first question the police asked. Anything even remotely close to a truthful answer would have made it obvious that it wasn’t a police matter. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/36 "2012-10-05T03:05:18Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > They should have asked the questions no matter what, which is why I speculated that either the guy at the dealership told one huge whopper or the police dropped the ball. “How do you know that this person stole the car?” should have been the very first question the police asked. Anything even remotely close to a truthful answer would have made it obvious that it wasn’t a police matter. I’m guessing more “inexperienced cops” than “lying dealership manager”, although I imagine there was some of both. I mean, like you said, there’s no good reason the cops _shouldn’t_ have asked WHY the dealer knew who “stole” the car. _Really_ inexperienced cops. Poorly trained. Stupid. Gullible. All of those. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/37 "2012-10-05T03:46:11Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Hey, this guy walked in and paid cash (more or less) for a $35,000 car. To him, maybe 4 hours IS worth 2 million dollars. Meh - I paid cash for my ($35,000) car and I make a lot less than $500k an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/38 "2012-10-05T04:53:11Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > Actually, according to the link, he was found innocent. Yup, I saw that. But I wouldn’t rely on it as a general principal. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/39 "2012-10-05T05:16:14Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > He’s going to fucking pay through the nose for hiring the wrong fool, I’ll bet, though. More than one fool, I expect. Because every time I’ve dealt with a car salesman, they’ve had to ‘take the deal back to their manager to get approval’. So likely more than one dealer employee saw this contract. ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644/40 "2012-10-05T05:39:25Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > every time I’ve dealt with a car salesman, they’ve had to ‘take the deal back to their manager to get approval’. So likely more than one dealer employee saw this contract. Not necessarily. That’s a sales tactic. Sometimes they just go out back and shoot the breeze with someone. Then they come back with a counter offer. The thinking is while they left you alone, you’ve gotten a bit antsy and want to make a deal, so you are more likely to accept the counter offer. Sales guys generally know what type of deals they can make. Unless you are talking the price below their parameters, chances are the manager isn’t involved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-fucked-up-the-contract-so-we-call-the-cops-and-say-you-stole-it/636644.md?page=3)