Thursday, January 14, 2010

Thou Shalt Not Feed Thy Brother's Meter


Don't try to be a good Samaritan here in Eugene, and feed the meters for your neighbor. Our city fathers and mothers could use a little compassion and humor...

EUGENE, Ore. -- We're learning more about a Eugene man, Ben Bond, who was fined $810 after a confrontation with a meter maid. The trouble started Wednesday when Bond tried paying the expired parking meters of strangers.

Outside the Fifth Street Market is where Ben Bond was arrested. He admits he fed the expired meters of strangers and used profanity at one point when he stopped his truck and confronted a Eugene parking enforcement officer. He says he never physically got in her way and was just trying to make sure other people avoided getting hit with parking tickets.

"They asked me what I was doing and I said 'Trying to keep the meter maid from getting a cramp in her hand from writing tickets'. And they instantly said 'Put your change in your pocket. You are under arrest,' " said Bond.

Ben Bond never believed putting a few coins in a few parking meters could lead to this. "The handcuff marks are still on my hands," said Bond.

The 30-year old was arrested by Eugene Police Wednesday and charged with Harassment and Obstruction of Governmental Administration after a run in with one of the city's parking enforcement officers. What sparked the incident was what Bond considered an act of kindness: putting coins in the expired parking meters of strangers.

"Got into my truck, and she pulled right here right as I was getting ready to put the money in and she said she saw that it was expired and that she's still getting a ticket," said Bond.

The parking services employee advised him to stop, then she moved on down Fifth Street.

"Had a pocket full of change and decided nobody else needs to get a ticket on this street and decided to change everybody up," said Bond.

Bond admits to stopping his truck next to the parking attendant outside the Fifth Street Market and confronting her. "I told her 'I don't think you're a crappy person, but what you're doing is a crappy ordeal," said Bond.

Bond parked, paid his own meter, then continued to pay others. "When I pulled up across the block, she instantly just stopped doing her job and I figured she was calling the police and I stuck around and waited for them," said Bond.

Three officers arrived, and within moments Bond was in cuffs and in a police cruiser. "I didn't have a chance from the get go. As soon as they showed up, I think minds were made up that I was going to be arrested and fined," said Bond.
(continued here )

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