An STLCC-Meramec student is pending charges after reportedly using a forged voucher in the Meramec cafeteria Thursday, Nov. 10.
Kurt Oberreither
–News Editor–
An STLCC-Meramec student is pending charges after reportedly using a forged voucher in the Meramec cafeteria Thursday, Nov. 10.
Meramec campus police officers Rick Seal and Paul Faulstich responded when a Treat America employee reported the incident in the cafeteria. The suspect was asked to produce identification but didn’t comply, according to Police Chief Paul Banta. The suspect became combative with Faulstich, was arrested and then released.
“Attitude had a lot to do with what happened,” Banta said. “If the suspect would have said, ‘Oh, here you go officer’ and handed over the ID, it would have ended differently.”
The suspect is charged with resisting arrest and theft by deceit and is in the arraignment process. The court date is set for Jan. 10, 2012 at 7 p.m. in the Kirkwood Municipal Court.
Campus Life Manager Steve Brady, who has to sign the coupons before they are valid, said he thinks the suspect found a blank voucher or reused one.
“This is the first time we’ve had someone abuse the program like that,” Brady said. “If it happens again, we’ll have to cut out the program or make changes.”
Clubs use food service vouchers as incentive for members to attend events and some use them to afford lunch during meetings. After the slip is used in the cafeteria, Brady said it is usually destroyed.
“We don’t give them out like water,” Brady said.
According to Banta, the student was also in the bookstore when items were stolen. This was the first accused incident of theft this semester, Banta said, but there have been two arrests since Oct. 12.
“Any time you gather 10,000 people in one place, there is going to be misbehaving,” Banta said. “Three incidents in one month – that’s not atypical.”
–Revised, Nov. 15, 2011
