Saturday, February 26, 2011

Motorist dials 9-1-1 over rising gas prices

The complaints that the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office receives on a daily basis run the gamut from the mundane loud barking dog to the routine reports of speeders, to the make-you-shake-your head-and-say-what? calls about "my child is refusing to go to school."

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But the call that came through on Thursday caught even veteran law enforcement officials off guard and perhaps created a new category: Way out of the ordinary.

But it also may be a sign of the times.

At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the St. John 9-1-1 emergency call center received a report from a motorist who became irate when, he said, a local gas station increased the price of the fuel - while he was filling up his truck.

The unidentified motorist told authorities that when he first pulled into the station at Birdie's Food and Fuel, located at 901 East Airline Highway in LaPlace, the price on the pump read $3.049 per gallon. But, while he was pumping, the price shot up to $3.189. The motorist confronted the station attendant but got no satisfaction, so he dialed 9-1-1...

[Full Article]