Police: Passenger Tries To Pay Cab Fare With Marijuana In Old City
By Elizabeth Hur
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - What happened inside a taxi led to an arrest after a passenger tried to pay his fare with pot.
He didn't have cash, so police say the man tried to pay up with another kind of green.
"It was strange. It really struck me as being odd," said Captain Brian Korn.
In his 33 years on the force, Korn said what happened in this case was a first for him.
"He tried to slip the cabbie a bag of marijuana to pay for the fare," Korn said.
He, according to police is Michael Medvec. The 23-year-old is now charged with trying to cover his cab fare that came out to about $8 with a bag of marijuana. It happened on Friday on Chestnut Street in Old City, police say when officers tried to ticket a cabbie for being double parked.
"One of the cab drivers alerts them that there's a guy in a cab who won't pay his fare. The guy says let me get some money for you and the cab driver says okay leave me some collateral. So he left his phone. He let him go in, he returns a short time later and he still doesn't have any money," Korn explained.
But police say Medvec's plan B earned him the additional charge of Possession of Marijuana on top of not paying for his fare. Unfortunately, police say the nightmare for the cabbie is also far from over.
"Poor cabbie, he's still out the $8 fare, now he has to take time off of work to go to court because he will be subpoenaed as a witness," said Korn. "So here's a guy who's got a tough enough job as it is and now he's out the fare and he's going to lose a day's of work or two for going to court."
For now, this case is scheduled for a Status Hearing on April 8th.
