From The Idaho Statesman:
The U.S. Attorney’s office is making a federal case out of spilled soda.
The Bush administration’s top attorney in Idaho is bringing charges against a North Idaho woman for refusing to pay for a Diet Coke and then pouring it out on a counter at a cafeteria in the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise.
Natalie Walters, now facing two counts that each carry a maximum sentence of six months in federal prison, thinks the case is a waste of taxpayer money and plans to fight the charges.
U.S. Attorney Tom Moss’s office wouldn’t comment on the case until after Walters’ arraignment, set for Oct. 8.
Roger Banks, listed on the court record as the investigating agent with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, did not return the Statesman’s phone call Wednesday.
…“They accessed my father’s medical records to find out his next appointment to try and find me,†she said. “I think that is a (federal health privacy law) violation. Medical records are private,†she said. “They should not have used a veteran’s medical records to find me. … My dad was upset. He could not believe it.â€
Walters never contacted the VA and that was the last she heard about the incident until a Statesman reporter contacted her Wednesday and informed her of the federal charges and her Oct. 8 arraignment.
She was shocked.
“My father is a veteran. It is a federal facility for veterans. This should have been handled differently,†she said. “This is extreme. This is totally extreme. Well, if they have that much time on their hands … go for it.â€
So let’s get this straight… we’ve got the cafeteria workers spending waaaay too much time and energy sorting out the cost of a refill for a soda. This got escalated to folks (who probably violated HIPAA compliance policies to dig through her dad’s records) who handled administrative tasks for her father’s treatment. Oh, and now we’ve got U.S. attorney’s prepared to press charges over a $3.80 soda.