Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The rest of the story

Ranger has now loaded everything he had at the park into a storage unit here. He's looking for jobs here. Right now, it's anything he can find, then he'll worry about finding his ideal job.

Now that the dust has settled, he thinks he's figured out what exactly happened last Friday. He showed up for work, after three days off, and found that the register tally was off. Mike had been working it while Ranger was gone.

Keep this in mind: they do not have individual user IDs for the register. There's no logging on or off, and there's no way to tell who was actually using it when a transaction happened.

There's a form they have to fill out when they open, recording certain numbers for the opening state of the register. Ranger did this, found the discrepancy, and wrote his documentation at the bottom of the form, including that it was balanced when he left and who was scheduled to work it while he was gone.

The morning was very busy, but he got no help from Mike, who kept disappearing back to his apartment instead of working. Ranger admits he was riding his case pretty hard that day because Mike was slacking off so bad. Mike was at the apartments when I got there, and went to the station to tell Ranger to take lunch and go see me.

Ranger did just that. While he was telling me about his frustrations that morning, he remembered that he left the morning's form (with his documentation) at the station. He hoped Mike didn't find it, since it was about him.

When he got back to work, his worst fears were confirmed. And then some. His morning form was gone. A new one was in its place, without his notes at the bottom. Mike had copied all of the opening data to a new form, called the boss, and was accusing Ranger of being responsible for the discrepancy.

Mike's "proof" was that there was a new transaction and the $30 for it was missing. He claimed to have found the new transaction when he relieved Ranger for lunch.

The rest is the most unbelievable part, where Ranger gets arrested for the discrepancy. They took the $700 (that he had saved to get his son back home) from his apartment and gave it to the authorities as evidence. Nevermind that the discrepancy wasn't that much....

That night, the Big Boss runs all the reports he needs on that register. They find what caused the discrepancy while Ranger was gone. What's left is the transaction that Mike "found."

Most likely, this is a phantom transaction that Mike rang up, to get rid of Ranger. The time of it is after Ranger left for lunch, about the time Mike would have found the form from the morning, with Ranger's notes.

The following morning, the police try to get Ranger to confess to taking $30 from the register. They're still holding his $700 as "evidence," even though they are now worried about a $30 transaction. Ranger refuses and is allowed to see his son and get bail arranged.

He realized then that his son never called me. Why? He couldn't find my name in his dad's phone. Ranger felt a little silly over that - he uses the nickname he has for me in his phone: "Beautiful."

Ranger called the prosecutor the other day and learned the charge against him has been reduced to a Class B Misdemeanor, for "altering records." That is a mystery to him. He has no idea where that's coming from. No mention of theft now. And the $700? They're still holding it because the case is "under investigation."

Can you say ridiculous? As you might guess, Ranger is depressed. He's found a stop-gap job here and is hoping his last paycheck will be enough to find a place to live.

I'm just heartbroken for him.

6 comments:

Walker said...

I think he has to get on the offensive and go ast them with a lawyer and threaten to sue his old employers and the police.
Also have Mike served and charged for theft of the $700 that he took from Ranger's belongings.
The best defense if a strong offense.
Knock them off gaurd and put them in the possition he is in.
Mike would break if the police go into his work and arrest him for theft.

Walker said...

Oh and evedense taken without a warrant is not evedense.

Anonymous said...

Yikes, again! Several things come to mind:

- does Ranger have a lawyer? Even if he needs to go the route of a public defender, having someone on his side is a good idea.

- Walker is right about the things taken from Ranger's apartment . . . there should have been a warrent issued. Despite that fact, however, the $700 was taken under suspicion that it belongs to his former employer - chances are slim that he will get it back until the entire issue gets dropped. (It took us a year to get back the personal effects taken under the search warrent issued against hubby . . . computer, tax documents, receipts, etc.)

- has Ranger filed for unemployement? Despite his situation, he may be able to collect (though it does take several weeks and is not his full weekly wage - but some is better than none!)

As I said before, I know I am on the other side of the state, but I would be more than happy to help - please let me know if there is anything that you or Ranger need!

Ronjazz said...

See, people like Mike are the main reason why we are supposed to have gun control in this country!

Please, honey, keep us all posted.

Fire Byrd said...

It's no help in the practical sense at all, Walker has done that. But what goes around comes around and Mike will get what's coming to him sooner or later.
Keep your chin up hon, Ranger is too good to keep down for long.
hugs
bbx

Glitterstim said...

You all are bloody fantastic!

And you are all exactly right. I'm encouraging Ranger to go on the offensive, get a lawyer, and pursue this aggressively. He doesn't want to drag things out, but I'm afraid that's what's going to have to happen for justice to be truly served here.

And Ronjazz, ROFL about the gun control! Too true!

Byrd, Ranger is a BIG believer in karma. Mike WILL get his, someday! I just hope that bit of karma is delivered through Ranger.

Driving, I'll ask about the unemployment. I don't know if he's done that. And thank you SO MUCH for the offer of help! If I think of anything, I'll give a shout!

Thank you all for your help and support!! :o) You renew my faith in humanity!

:o) BJ