They say you can “have it your way” at Burger King – but not if “your way” involves beating up a cashier who refuses to accept your coupons.
That’s what a Wisconsin woman has found out, after pleading guilty to attacking a 16-year-old Burger King employee two months ago, when the cashier refused to allow her mother to use multiple coupons in one transaction.
23-year-old Jasmeika Simon and her 41-year-old mother Latonia Howell were each charged with felony physical abuse of a child, due to the cashier’s age. Simon pleaded guilty yesterday to reduced charges of battery and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.
Police in Glendale, Wisconsin said the whole dispute started back on February 27th, when Howell placed an order and handed over her coupons. “She had about 12, but our policy is only one per customer,” the cashier said. “She kept bothering me, and kept asking. I kept telling her I couldn’t do it.”
So the irate customer allegedly left the restaurant, promising to return – with backup.
Police said she came back some time later, with her two daughters in tow. “Oh, you’re the one,” the police report quotes one of the daughters as saying to the cashier. “Don’t ever disrespect my mom,” another added.
Surveillance footage then shows one of the daughters, believed to be Simon, reaching behind the counter to grab a box of sugar packets. She throws the box at the cashier, then throws a container of ketchup, before the dispute spills over into the dining area.
“The girl pushed past my manager, and began punching me several times in the face,” the cashier said.
The trio took off, allegedly threatening to return with a gun, though they never did.
Police publicized the surveillance video, asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects. And a month after the incident, they arrested Howell and Simon. The second daughter was not charged.
Unless she reaches a plea deal before then, Howell is due to stand trial next week. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Simon, meanwhile, will be sentenced two weeks later. She faces a maximum nine months imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
That amount of money could have bought them a whole lot of burgers and fries. Instead, it appears they won’t be going back to Burger King anytime soon – with or without coupons.
