Wal-Mart shopper ticketed after fire official hears her using f-word

[Dope Nose]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5942630.html

Foul-talking shopper stirs up a tempest at store in La Marque
Fire captain writes a ticket, tells woman to watch her mouth
By PEGGY O'HARE
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 13, 2008, 11:28PM

If all storms had a name, this one would start with the letter F.

As Tropical Storm Edouard closed in on the Texas Gulf Coast last week, a storm of a different kind was brewing inside the sporting goods section of a Wal-Mart store in La Marque. It started with the F-word.

And now a 28-year-old single mother must go to court if she wants to fight a ticket for using profanity.

On Aug. 4, as local residents prepared for deteriorating weather conditions, Kathryn "Kristi" Fridge made a last-minute stop at the Wal-Mart at FM 1764 and Interstate 45 with her mother and 2-year-old daughter.

Finding the batteries shelf bare, she expressed her displeasure and disbelief to her mother.

"I was like, 'Dang.' I looked at my mom and said, 'They're all ----ing gone," Fridge recalled.

Suddenly, Capt. Alfred Decker, the La Marque assistant fire marshal, appeared from around the corner, dressed in a fire department uniform.

"He said, 'You need to watch your mouth,' " Fridge said.

Perplexed by who the man was — his badge said "fire department" — Fridge offered a scant apology.

"I was like, 'Oh, OK. Sorry?' " she said.

Fridge walked away, but said the man ordered her to come back. She then protested, telling him she was having a private conversation with her mother that was none of his business. When the man ordered her to come to him and she refused, she said he pulled out his handcuffs.

Chief defends the action
La Marque Fire Chief Todd Zacherl said Fridge made such a scene in the Wal-Mart that night, disrupting the peace, that Decker had no choice but to act.

"She cussed him, she cussed everybody. By now, we have a huge group of people looking," Zacherl said.

Fridge emphatically denied that, saying while she did curse in casual conversation with her mother, she never cursed at Decker, even during their confrontation. Her mother agreed.

"She never got nasty with him, she never cussed at him," said Fridge's mother, Kathryn Rice of Santa Fe.

Decker ordered Fridge to come out to his car because that's where his citation book was stored, Zacherl said. Fridge eventually complied, but admits she used the offending word again when she turned to a crowd of onlookers while being led outside and yelled, "Can you believe this? He's ----ing arresting me for saying ----!"

"When I got outside, I saw he was a fire marshal — I saw his car. I said, 'You're not even a cop!' He said, 'I can do this,' " Fridge said.

Decker asked for her name, and Fridge said she began to spell it out verbally and in sign language, which angered him. As their confrontation continued, he handcuffed her.

Zacherl said the assistant fire marshal did so for his own safety because Fridge was being belligerent and because he had to turn his back to get his ticket book and check on the radio if she had any arrest warrants.

Ultimately, Fridge was released and ticketed for disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor. She can pay a fine or appear in court to contest the citation.

State law says the use of abusive, indecent, profane or vulgar language in a public place, which causes an "immediate breach of the peace," meets the definition of disorderly conduct.

Because the municipal court case is pending, Decker cannot comment on the matter, Zacherl said.

Three days later, Fridge went to the La Marque Fire Department to speak with the fire chief and was given forms to make a complaint. She hasn't made an official complaint, but says she will contact a lawyer before deciding whether to pursue one.

"I'm not out to sue or get money — I just want them to drop this ticket," Fridge said Wednesday. "Yes, I probably shouldn't have cussed in public, but he took it way too far."

Zacherl said the assistant fire marshal had no choice.

"When you're in uniform, you have to uphold the laws," the fire chief said. "It's like if he was on the way home and saw a drunk driver — he had to act."

Public reaction
Decker is certified by the state of Texas as firefighter, peace officer, fire investigator and fire inspector. His fire department uniform also says "investigator," Zacherl said.

Zacherl said he has received about 15 phone calls from people reacting to the incident. Several accused the assistant fire marshal of abusing his power, but most calls have been positive, Zacherl said.

"The rest (of the phone calls) are, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you,' " Zacherl said.

 

[Nirvana]

Cursing up a storm in Public makes you look trashy to begin with.

 

[Immortalfire]

Cursing up a storm in Public makes you look trashy to begin with.

And doing it at Wal Mart doesn't help things.

 

[The Chairman]

This is a totally stupid case. He had no right to arrest her. If she did have a verbal confrontation as the fire chief said, more power to her. He had no right to do what he did.

 

[odiin]

This is a totally stupid case. He had no right to arrest her. If she did have a verbal confrontation as the fire chief said, more power to her. He had no right to do what he did.

Well apparetly he DID have the right, but that doesn't stop it from being stupid. I mean you're seriously going to arrest someone over a word you hear every day anyway?

 

[Logan's Runt]

She didn't 'cuss up a storm' until after she was confronted (and she denies doing that at all.)

She used the f-word in casual conversation, as an emphasis. She wasn't cursing someone or yelling or being angry. The fire dude got all ******** at hearing it and decided to be an ass about it because he had a citation book to write things like that.

At that point, most people would get angry and start using those words in a disturbance-of-the-peace kind of way.

I also like how the fake-cop-fire-ass compared her casual use of the dreaded f-word to being a drunk driver and endangering lives. Yep, those are pretty much just the same thing! Golly!

Wtf happened to free speech?

 

[AlteredEgo]

but she didnt use the word in any way to disrupt "the immediate peace" of those around her. it was directed at her mom, regarding batteries. but, yeah, either way, not exactly classy.

 

[AlteredEgo]

She didn't 'cuss up a storm' until after she was confronted (and she denies doing that at all.)

She used the f-word in casual conversation, as an emphasis. She wasn't cursing someone or yelling or being angry. The fire dude got all ******** at hearing it and decided to be an ass about it because he had a citation book to write things like that.

At that point, most people would get angry and start using those words in a disturbance-of-the-peace kind of way.

I also like how the fake-cop-fire-ass compared her casual use of the dreaded f-word to being a drunk driver and endangering lives. Yep, those are pretty much just the same thing! Golly!

Wtf happened to free speech?

goddammit, i gotta refresh the page more often. yeah you basically said what i was thinking. she didnt start "disturbing" anything until the *****e nozzle fire guy got all up in her grill-like.

 

[Addendum]

Classy or not, it shouldn't be an arrestable offense. Especially by a damn fire marshal. Not a cop

 

[Majic Walrus]

If I had a soul a part of it would die reading that. I think if I were that lady I'd have flipped and ignored him. Fire fighters shouldn't have the authority to write tickets in the first place not to mention the fact that no one should be able to write you a ticket for using language they don't approve of.

 

[Addendum]

I did like that she was mocking him by spelling out her name and even using sign language

 

[AlteredEgo]

Classy or not, it shouldn't be an arrestable offense. Especially by a damn fire marshal. Not a cop

i only say not classy because i imagine her wearing a raggedy "America" t-shirt, with, like, a big pissed off eagle on the front, while she's shopping at walmart with her mullet-rockin' mother. i dunno. it makes me giggle.

 

[Addendum]

I shop at Target. They got Jelly Belly jellybeans

 

[jaguarr]

I imagine the ACLU will get involved with this one. Why don't you worry about um...fires and fire hazards, Mr. Fire Chief? Classy or completely lacking thereof, free speech laws protect us from these sort of zealots with badges. This citation won't stand up in court.

jag

 

[Payle Gray]

I shop at Target. They got Jelly Belly jellybeans

what kind of fantasy target has jelly bellys?

 

[Addendum]

Super Targets. They have a wall for Jelly Belly's. It doesn't look like that one but it's longer and the bins are bigger.

 

[CashforStash]

Um, and people say America is a free country?

 

[AlteredEgo]

I shop at Target. They got Jelly Belly jellybeans

your target kicks ass.

 

[CashforStash]

^totaly agreed

 

[Immortalfire]

Jelly Beans...vomit

 

[Fading]

This is a front runner, but I have a feeling the Bigfoot corpse conference later today will top this as the most stupid thing I've heard today. However this is an easy second.

First of all, you politely ask someone to not cuss if you overhear it and it offends you. You don't order them back and point at handcuffs, that only serves to aggrivate the situation. If a minor confrontation can be difused with a few short and sweet words then it should be, I'd think cops/firemen/whoever would know not to make a mountain out of a molehill.

This only turned into a scene because that guy continued to provoke, and while the lady obviously had a short temper, it's one that wouldn't have been tested if he hadn't continued to push. It sounds to me like he's one of those types that enjoys his job too much and is looking for reasons to ticket and fine ppl.

I think cussing too much can be a crutch and show a lack of intelligence, but letting one fly while not paying attention doesn't warrant handcuffs and a fine.

 

[Schlosser85]

Yet another person on a power trip. She might have cursed in public, but what he did was akin to *********ing in public.

 

[The Lizard]

Jelly Beans...vomit

Indeed!

 

[jaguarr]

Here's a pic of that Fire Marshall, btw:

jag

 

[8Diagrams(WU)]

Someone that uses the word Dang automatically makes me think of trash

Im thinkin the girl flipped out when she got told to watch her language.