Woman Charged With Felony Over VHS Tape That Was 21 Years Overdue
Be kind, rewind. OR ELSE.
One woman learned the hard way that failure to return your VHS tapes to the video store can have serious consequences, even in 2021. Caron McBride, formerly of Oklahoma, went to change her name on her driver’s license after getting married in Texas. But the process of filling out the paperwork revealed that she was wanted in Oklahoma for felony embezzlement. Of an 21-year-old rented VHS tape.
According to Fox 25, McBride had been charged all the way back in March of 2000 with “embezzlement of rented property” over a VHS copy of Sabrina the Teenage Witch that she allegedly borrowed from the Movie Place video store in Norman, Oklahoma and never returned. McBride told Fox 25 she doesn’t remember renting the tape, much less not returning it — but she suspects this is what happened...
I had lived with a young man, this was over 20 years ago. He had two kids, daughters that were 8, 10 or 11 years old, and I'm thinking he went and got it and didn't take it back or something. I have never watched that show in my entire life, just not my cup of tea. Meanwhile, I'm a wanted felon for a VHS tape.
She added “I didn't try to deceive anyone over Samantha (Sabrina) the Teenage Witch. I swear.”
The store that McBride supposedly rented the tape from closed years ago, but the warrant was still outstanding, which means she could have still faced a serious penalty. (The punishment for felony embezzlement in Oklahoma is a maximum of one year in jail, along with a fine of $1,000, plus restitution.) Thankfully, upon learning of the situation last week, the Cleveland County District Attorney decided to dismiss McBride’s case. Now she is free to change her driver's license without fear of arrest over a borderline extinct medium of home video consumption.
Gallery — VHS Tapes That Are Still Shockingly Valuable:
[H/T New York Times]