Virginia police are unable to track down the creep who grabbed Michael’s wife in a Rite Aid parking lot because Rite Aid is refusing to hand over its security tapes. Even worse, the store manager apparently knows the creepy grabber guy and is also refusing to help. Michael wrote to Rite Aid’s corporate office begging them to cooperate with law enforcement. He hasn’t heard back in two days.
Michael writes:
On May 8 2008 around 6pm, my wife was shopping at Rite Aid store # 11285 in Newport News, Va. She noticed an individual in the store wearing a heavy coat and nit cap with a backpack. It was warm out so she thought it a little strange. He paid for his purchase and left the store. She paid for her items and left. She has remote start on her car and started it from inside the store. When she got to her car and opened the door, the individual who was in the store ran up behind her an attempted to grab her.
She was able to turn and kick him and get into the car and drive off. When she got home we called the police. While we were waiting for them to show up we called the store and spoke with the manager. His name is Jim or John . We explained what just happened and he stated he remembered her being in there and he somewhat knew the individual as he comes in regularly and he might work for a Waste Management Company. He also stated the camera facing the right front side of the building where the attack happened was not working, but the one in the store was. Once we gave the description to the police, he went to talk to the manager. Later in the evening he called to let us know the manager refused to discuss the issue and would not let him see the security video of inside the store. The matter was turned over to a Detective the next day. Since the 9th, numerous attempts have been made to contact the manager, however he has not returned one phone call.
On May 27 around 1pm I called the Home Office at (717)761-2633. After getting bounced around to different departments and disconnected, I was finally able to get Karen Mcklintic (sp) at 503-977-5903 in the claims department. She listened and stated she would take this to her supervisor to act on. I heard nothing from her yesterday May 28, and left her a message today May 29. All I was asking for was for someone to call the manager and instruct him to call the detective and to give him the information he needs. I don’t know if the security video is still available or if it has been taped over.
I do not understand why he is reluctant to help get this resolved. My wife was attacked a few years ago and this is bringing back some bad memories. It makes it worse that the manager may know the individual and sees him in the store and is not doing anything. As a minimum the security tapes should have been pulled after we called and given to the police. I understand if a district or regional manager needed to be involved before the tapes were given or viewed, but to get NO cooperation from a Rite Aid representative is ridiculous. I have no problem taking a week off from work, having a sign made that states: MY WIFE WAS ATTACKED IN THIS PARKING LOT AND RITE AIDE WILL NOT HELP. SHOP AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Good idea. Make the sign, show it to the manager, and explain your intentions. Then, ask once more for the tape.
The corporate office really needs to step up and reign in their vigilante manager. Customer service complaints are inherently subjective, but we can all agree that it’s a bad idea to interfere with a police investigation.
(Photo: Getty)
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@thesabre: Um sorry… let me try this again… my post disapeared. What I was going to say is… you have to be the world’s biggest git if you’re trying to compare being in PUBLIC in the drug store, and being in PRIVATE in your home. In public you have no right to an expectation of privacy except in limited circumstances (i.e. restrooms, fitting rooms, etc.). Even though the Rite-Aid is private property it is still in the public realm, so it meets the definition of a public space. That having been said, since Rite-Aid is private property they can restrict photography inside the building and ask you to or ON their property and ask you to leave their property… but they cannot prevent you taking pictures OF their property from the public sidewalk. It would argueably even be legal to have a high powered telephoto lense that allowed you to get shots of the manager inside the store (from the street).
The line between a legal and illegal photo in that situation is where you violate the individual’s assumed right to privacy. Think of it this way – oh look Joe is at the drug store, and I have a picture that shows that. Joe has no reasonable expectation to that level of privacy. Anyone on the street driving by can see that he went into the drug store. Now if I use my zoom lens take pictures of him picking up his prescription for Viagra, then I have violated his right to privacy.
(As an amateur photographer this is an issue that I follow closely, and though I’m not a lawyer, it comes from documentation provided by lawyers for photographer’s rights).
@sleepydumbdude:
Yep, corporations are oft not want to help and prefer to work directly with the police. When my car got broken into at a Carmike Cinema, they refused to cooperate with me and tried to rush me out of the building (despite my car having gotten broken into, no window… and GPS stolen). All Carmike offered me was two free movie tickets for my loss, and do everything they can to get me out of their building. I never even got so much as an “I’m sorry”. Just “Here, take these and go”.
I never felt angrier in my life.
These places want nothing to do with the customer when bad things happen, and associate only with the authorities. Half the time, unfortunately, the authorities don’t always have time for things like this, or there are more pressing issues, so little gets done. It leaves the victims feeling hopeless and abandoned. It’s stupid.
After how horribly Carmike Cinema treated me in my moment of weakness I will NEVER return to their theaters again.
thesabre – You sir, are why I’ve come to hate half this country. Maybe if you got your ass raped and cops were too swamped to follow up on it any time soon (or ever) because LIKE MOST INNER OR LARGE CITIES THE POLICE ARE AT THEY’RE BREAKING POINTS AND MANY HAVE TO PRIORITIZE CRIMES BECAUSE THEY’RE HOPELESSLY BEHIND AND SWAMPED.
Sabre – since you’re not crying as much as that girl over their for silmiar rapings, we’re putting you on hold. Don’t worry, when we get past the murders that we’re backlogged on, the attempted murders, the break-ins in progress, and the other violent assauklt that were worse than yours… well then we’ll help you.
So please, until you’re affected by a violent crime and get put on the back buner, shut the f*ck up.
Instead of attacking thesabre, why don’t you guys file a complaint with your local police departments, or better yet, why don’t you get a job as a cop, since you all obviously know what you’re doing better than they do.
Yes, the police are over-worked, underpaid, and not all of them are good, but that is the same in a lot of industries. It SUCKS that we have bad police officers, but seriously, I know that a lot of them are trying their best. It sucks.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME: You can only do so much as a citizen! By all means, if the police are not helping you, then go ahead and try to take matters into your own hands, but the police SOUND like they are helping in this story, so I am not sure what all the arguing is about? Rite Aid, if anyone, is at fault here for not doing the right thing and turning the tape over to the police without a warrant. But, if it takes that…then let them get it. If Rite Aid is not going to turn over the tape to the police, the are most assuredly not going to turn it over to you.
Unless somebody is in the hospital or the morgue don’t expect the cops to do a damn thing about it. If your car gets stolen the cops are just “Call your insurance company”. Some dirtbag snatches your purse or your wallet the cops are like “keep better tabs on your shit”. Or in the case of a previous poster here, “The bank gave you back your money, what’s it to you?”
What was it that priest said in The Boondock Saints? Evil triumphs through the indifference of good men?
And y’know what, until police agencies stop squandering tax-payer dollars and DHS grants on high-tech toys they probably don’t even need (Honestly, does Amarillo TX need a $1 million bomb squad truck with robot?) and instead put that money to better use by getting more uniforms out on the streets, I think we the public have a right to bitch about the police’s utter apathy towards solving crimes.
At least Texas had good enough sense to empower citizens to protect themselves rather than just let the police be apathetic.
A guy vandalized my car and punched me in the head, knocking me unconscious for a little while. One of my friends yelled how could he hit a girl, so he punched my friend and gave him a black eye. He also took my car’s side view mirror, threw it, and broke a guy’s thumb. I had at least 10 witnesses to this, including the first cop on the scene who really beat the shit out of this guy with her stick. Many pepper sprays and punches to the head (from his brother) later, he was only semi-conscious and dragged away.
I didn’t get my settlement until a year later, at which point I was offered straight compensation for my damages, or he could go to court. I took the money and ran, as they say, because who knows how long the court dates would be delayed.
Everyone said the detective would call me, and I only heard from him two weeks later. They either don’t have the time or don’t understand time management (I would guess the former). I’d be harassing Rite Aid, too.
I’ve seen those signs at Home Depot.
@aaron8301:
“As has been said numerous times before, if you don’t like the content, don’t visit the site.”
Simply because this site allows consumers to post whatever stories that want does not mean everyone here should blindly fall in line and side with the “consumer” without questioning the facts and offering their opinions.
So if you want to be a sheep, feel free. I am going to use my brain and think about the stories that are posted.
Just give them the tape. Years ago I worked at Blockbuster and I was the manager on duty, an RCMP officer came in flashed his badge gave me his card and said I need yesterday’s tape. He had some paperwork for me to fill out saying he took the tape and I gave him the tape. I called my district manager and told him that the RCMP wanted the tape and that I gave it to them and he said “good”. End of story.
waste management is code for “connected.” Thus the reason the manager won’t give up the tapes.
Amy Alkon:
I was threatened with arrest for asking the police why they were not pursuing the guy that stole my car. they recovered my car at his house, he had a long rap sheet, etc. The police took exception to my asking why they refused to arrest him.
Should I go into the $200+ it cost me to beat a traffic ticket for running a red light at an intersection where there was no red light? That One incident changed my opinion of the police.
@thesabre: you are right. he is being valient and obviously a caring husband but staying out of it is the most helpful thing he can do.
on that note, looks like a lawsuit against rite aid will be in order…
Strange I am glad I don’t live where the rest of you seam to live. The Police in my area are very helpful and professional. I had laptop stolen out of my car a couple of years back. I reported it to the police. They discovered the lot I was parked in was covered by cameras.
In about a week they subpoenaed the footage. Tracked the suspect to his car on other cameras in the lot. Identified the suspect based on the car’s plates. He and the DA settled out of court. Part of the criminal agreement was he not dispute my civil case and he paid the $2,500 in my civil case over the next year or so. He was on probation and community service for 6 months on the criminal side.
I can honestly say I had no complaints about the way my case was handled by the Police or Courts.
Props to the OP for being so diligent in chasing this down. it’s unfortunate that the police don’t seem to be doing their jobs in this case. (That’s the real story I think, not Rite Aid’s non-cooperation.)
@MrEvil: Pantex is located in Amarillo, so if any location has a pertinent need for a capable bomb squad Amarillo is on the list.
@thesabre: @Edge23: @Edge23:
Exactly, look what a great job the Boulder, Colorado police did with the JonBenet Ramsey case. Glad you guys think the police in Newport News can handle it so well. By the way, remember when they caught the guy putting cyanide in Tylenol or the person the mailed out the anthrax virus?
Seems posts are dropping off the board.
Amy Alkon
I am glad that you persevered in you pursuit of the criminal; I was threatened with arrest just for asking why the guy that stole my car was not arrested ( my car was recovered from his driveway, he had a rap sheet several pages long.)
Another time it cost me $200+ to beat a traffic ticket for running a red light where there was no red light.
I sold a car that had serious mechanical problems and the repair would have been more than the car was worth. Whoever bought the car tried to tow it but only got as far as a restaurant parking lot. The police called me and told me to remove the car immed. I told them that was impossible since I had sold the car and no longer had title to it. The police went to the parking lot to ticket the car in my name but (luckily) the new owner was there to tow it away.
I have come to the conclusion that the police in my area are for revenue enhancement.
@mikelotus:
You are comparining a murder case to small robbery? You do
You people are simply cynical and paranoid if think all cops are lazy and incompetent.
If RiteAid can only turn the tape over the police, then it seems like they would (a) say so and (b) turn the tape over to the police already. If they won’t even give the guy a straight answer about this, or surrender the tape to the cops, then it looks like RiteAid is more interested in covering its own ass than taking care of its customers, and they deserve the blame.
Blaming a low-level Rite-Aid manager is pointless. I can guarantee he would lose his job if he turned over surveillance tapes to anyone (even the police) without permission from above.
So the issue is with Rite-Aid corporate offices. The likelihood you’ll get satisfaction from them (and their lawyers) in two days is pretty damn low, particularly if you’re not with law enforcement.
Solution: Tell the police that the attacker looked middle eastern. Deal with the details later.
For all of you who think victims should sit at home while the valiant police force does it’s job…You are completely brain dead.
When it comes to customer service, Cops are at the absolute bottom of the totem pole. If you want something done hire a lawyer. They are your only hope.
Also, another commenter suggested kicking the managers teeth in. I suggest wearing a black ski mask and a backpack while doing so. The irony would be delightful.
I would suggest that the next time he is in RiteAid someone should fill his a prescription for some 9mm asprin.
What’s with all the name calling in this thread?
You people are jackasses.
Camera’s never work for thefts and acts of violence committed in parking lots. I’ve probably had seven friends have this same problem. But when I worked for a big box retailer and they were trying to find employees shoplifting, they busted a guy who worked in computers and had stolen some desktop speakers because he opened them on his balcony, which was visible to store cameras almost exactly a half mile away (checked it on Google Earth, actually just over a half mile). Cameras worked crystal clear, wide panoramic angle to capture everything in front of the store. Cameras were also routinely able to capture people parking outside the employee parking area, smoking distance from the main door violations, and cameras were used a few times to vindicate the security team on a couple of potentially litigious episodes whenever they had to tackle someone, and yes that came up.
Cameras never worked when someone got their car broken into/hit, whenever traffic at the store made employees late for totally unpredicatble reasons, or to prove that employees were only allowed to leave sometimes far after they clocked out. In other words, cameras only exist in stores for the same reason every other item is there, to maximize profit.
You guys have a lot of faith in cops, companies and idiot store managers. “Just let them do their job…” Please… if my wife had been attacked I would be at the store every day demanding tape and at the mayor’s office every day demanding the police seize it.
This whole notion of ‘Hey… just relax man…let the system work itself out’ never benefits the consumer/victim.
@Edge23: well yes, if they can’t deal with murder cases, we should have confidence they can deal with this? have you ever been to newport news?
@Sanveann: Also about the McDonald’s case. The coffee was so hot it melted the glue (or the cup had not been properly glued) at the bottom and the bottom of the cup fell out dumping, as you said nearly boiling coffee in her crotch. Not exactly the ideal place for something like that. Glad to see someone else actually bothered to inform themselves about the case.
If you can find a lawyer who would take your case on a contigency basis, you would get a great deal of cooperation as well as a possible settlement for your hardship
I tried to help out in a hit-and-run at a local CVS, I witnessed the accident, then waited for the lady whose car was hit (she was in the store at the time) and informed her about it, gave her my contact info etc.
She called me the next day and asked me to meet her at CVS. The manager was EXTREMELY helpful. Not only did he let us in the office to view the tape, he tried to match the time code on the tape to the purchase made by the woman who matched the description of the hit-and-run driver. The police officer on the case was not even present for this, the victim had to call him on her cell and then I relayed the info about the accident to him!
So it’s too bad about the attitude of this Rite-Aid manager, obviously he could help as much as he wanted to (or not, as it seems).