The High Price of Stupidity...

It has been said that you can't fix stupid.  Some time ago Norman Alderman's speeding ticket was dismissed because the cop didn't show up.  A few weeks later he gets the local judge to appoint Charles Beard from Greenbrier County "for the purpose of signing a warrant."  Magistrate Beard did so and Norman Alderman was arrested on the streets of Marlinton.  It was an arrest that was intended to teach Alderman a lesson.  Chris Cole and Troy McCoy parked the cruiser right in front of the Times office so that their photographer could get some great pictures.  He did (see Pocahontas Times article).

But they weren't counting on the fat man to fall out of the cruiser.  He asked them to uncuff him long enough to let him get into the cruiser.  They would not!  He tried to get in and fell out onto the concret injuring his elbow.  911 was called and he was transported to PMH for evaluation. (CRI ,ete.)  By the time  they had finished evaluating him they had run up a $500 bill with the ambulance service and almost $9,000 for the emergency room.

There would have been no injury and no hospital visit if Officer Cole and McCoy would have merely had a letter sent to Alderman via the mail for $0.45.  Instead they ended up with a nearly $10,000 bill. Some people say that revenge is sweet but now a days it is very expensive.  Sure they made a scene but they have takend $2,500 out of the county's tax coffers, money that could have been put to much better use such as buying more stars for General Jonese's uniform collar.

I told the nurse to send the bill to David Jonese.  The insurance company sent it to the County Commission.