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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Homeless man arrested for unlawfully charging phone...

September 16 2011
 ...but prosecutors decide not to pursue the case

 

A homeless man was arrested after being caught charging two mobile phones in a plug socket outside a US shop.

Shaun Fawster, 23, was charged with theft of services and remanded in custody in Bangor, Maine after a police officer found him charging the phones in an electric outlet hidden behind some flowers.

Bangor Police Lieutenant Jeff Millard said he was charged with theft of services and carrying a concealed weapon, which was a folding knife discovered tucked under his shirt after his arrest in June. He was taken to Penobscot County Jail but released shortly afterwards on bail.

The District Attorney’s Office has since dropped the charges against Mr Fawster, who was described by police as a ‘transient.’ Susan J Pope, assistant district attorney, said: “Prosecutors have declined to pursue the case.” She added that the District Attorney’s Office had discretion over whether charges brought by police are carried forward or not.

The case of Mr Fawster is not the first instance of someone being arrested for charging their phone with electricity they have not paid for. In May, US lawyer William Webb Greenfelder, 38, was charged with breaking into an empty mobile home and stealing electricity after his phone was found plugged into a socket via an orange extension cord.

< Body found in tent identified Homeless hotspot receives royal visit >
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