There's some buzz starting over charges filed in relation to an incident at a CT Taco Bell. It looks like the real issue here could be other than what the headlines are saying. Drudge saves an important detail for the last line of his flash.
A woman accused of using racial epithets while waiting for food at a Connecticut Taco Bell drive-through window was arrested Wednesday.
Jennifer Farrelly, 19, of East Windsor, has been charged with ridicule on account of race, creed or color and second-degree breach of peace. Farrelly's boyfriend, Eric Satterlee, 22, of Ashford, was charged with breach of peace in the incident.
On Dec. 18, Farrelly and Satterlee became frustrated by the slow service at the Taco Bell restaurant on Brookside Place, according to an arrest warrant. Farrelly banged on the drive-through window and called the Taco Bell attendant, Jamelle Byrd, a racial epithet, according to the warrant. Satterlee allegedly cursed and banged on the window.
Farrelly denied using racial epithets when she was interviewed by police, saying Byrd caused the dispute by ridiculing her for parking her car far away from the drive-through window, the warrant states. Byrd's supervisor told police that Byrd should not have been working the drive-through because he had gotten into a similar incident with another customer, the warrant states.
OK, if this is basically a he said, she said - and the individuals supervisor is basically admitting there might be a problem with the employee ... doesn't it seem strange that the customer was arrested?
Maybe they were mouthy with the police and an officer made his decision based upon observation ... but I'm thinking there's more to this story.
If the employee trumped up this charge, I don't know if it can be proved, but that would deserve some real attention. I have no desire to live with the fear that a minority or anyone else, for that matter, can simply claim I made some type of ethnic slur which leads to an arrest. Talk about politically incorrect ... geesh!
Were I the arrested party above, assuming I had made no ethnic slur - I'd be taking that manager's admission and Taco Bell to court.
The DA has charged them??? Sounds like that is who has the biggest problem.
Posted by: jolari | Friday, February 03, 2006 at 04:01 PM
Your point about someone claiming you made an ethnic-based slur against them is right on. Teachers live in fear of this. In this ridiculously PC world we live in, you can get no support from anyone because 'they' fear they'll be seen as supporting racism. School administors are just nuts over this, and they never support the teachers. Why? Because it's a lot easier to sacrifice the teacher than to put up with litigation. It is so revolting. 95% of teachers who leave education early, do so because their administration refused to support them in some similar case as this one.
Posted by: Phoenix | Friday, February 03, 2006 at 09:48 PM
and in other news.. `How sick is this?
Crematory, Shelters Investigated in Animal Dump Case
Quotes on the Case
''Did the animals ever get to the pet crematory?''
-- Woody Lipps, a U.S. Forest Service patrol captain for the George Washington National Forest, where the bodies were found
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Feb. 3) - The owners of a Virginia pet crematorium and animal shelter operators in two states are being interviewed to determine why 350 dead cats, dogs and other animals were dumped in rural areas of West Virginia.
Two dumps were found in the state, with the latest discovered earlier this week in the woods near Capon Bridge. The first dump was discovered Dec. 30 in the George Washington National Forest.
Investigators have traced the animals to animal shelters in Fairfax County, Va., and Montgomery County, Md., Woody Lipps, a U.S. Forest Service patrol captain in charge of law enforcement for the national forest, said Friday.
Both shelters had contracts with Family Pet Cremations.
A subcontractor for Family Pet Cremations may have been responsible, said Russell Harman, president of the Chantilly, Va.-based crematorium.
"We were shocked and saddened to learn that a number of shelter animals briefly handled at our facility had been illegally and improperly disposed of in a wooded area near Capon Bridge, West Virginia. We have confirmed that absolutely no family pets brought to our facilities by individual patrons or veterinary clinics were involved in this incident," Harman said Friday in a statement.
Harman did not identify the subcontractor. He said the company is reviewing its outsourcing policies to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
"We deeply regret the events that have transpired," Harman said.
Investigators have met with the business owners and "have found them to be cooperative," Lipps said.
"What we have to look at is how did the animals get from the Fairfax facility or the Montgomery facility to the national forest or private land," Lipps said. "Did the animals ever get to the pet crematory?"
"We're casting a pretty wide net here," he said.
No charges have been filed in the case and Lipps said investigators planned to meet Friday to discuss their findings.
The investigation prompted officials in Fairfax and Montgomery counties to stop doing business with the animal crematory.
Fairfax County police operate that county's animal shelter.
"As a police department, we're disturbed and concerned. It's a horrific finding," said Fairfax County police spokeswoman Mary Mulrenan.
The county was auditing its contract with Family Pet Cremations, Mulrenan said, and had suspended an animal shelter employee who had a part-time job with the cremation firm.
Montgomery County canceled its contract with Family Pet Cremations, saying the company had defaulted on its agreement to comply with all local, state and federal laws and regulations.
Bea Tignor, Montgomery County's procurement director, said in a letter sent Friday to the company that the dumping of the animals' carcasses was illegal and posed a public health risk.
Posted by: Petlover | Saturday, February 04, 2006 at 07:32 AM
Petlover - Get your own blog.
Posted by: Phoenix | Saturday, February 04, 2006 at 12:39 PM