Original Blog Entry: Woman gives homeless guy $5, then demands he give it back with a gun

truesee — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:14:07 GMT

Woman gives homeless guy $5 demands he give it back

KATU

Sep 30, 2011 at 11:52 AM PDT

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2011 at 5:07 PM PDT

Meghan Fleming.

SALEM, Ore. - What happens when you give a homeless guy some money and then ask for it back?

It gets you arrested - well at least it did in one woman's case.

The whole situation went down Thursday outside a PetSmart store on Lancaster Drive N.E. in Salem.

According to police, 26-year-old Meghan Fleming went shopping at the store and on her way out decided to give a few bucks to a homeless man who was outside.

So far so good but police say Fleming changed her mind about handing over the cash after getting to her car. So she drove up to the man, pointed what looked like a handgun at him and demanded that he give the money back to her. A man in the car got involved as well and also demanded that the homeless guy hand it over.

The homeless man ended up giving back the money, which wasn't much (police say it was $5). He then walked into the PetSmart store and told workers there he had just been robbed. Those at the store were familiar with the woman the man said had robbed him and were able to give police her name.

Fleming was arrested a short time later at her home. Police say she had her two 2-year-old twins in the car with her when the incident unfolded and they were turned over to relatives.

Meghan certainly could have asked for her money back, but that was not the case, Lt. Steve Birr with the Salem Police Department said in a news release. She crossed the line when she pointed what looked like a firearm at him and demanded he hand over the money.

The man who was in the car with Fleming - 19-year-old Timothy Fleming (her nephew) - later turned himself in to police in Turner. He is pictured at right.

The 'gun' turned out to be a BB gun.

Police say the victim was just out of prison and didn't want to press charges, but the District Attorney's office decided to pursue the case.

Both Meghan Fleming and Timothy Fleming are charged with robbery and are now sitting at the Marion County Correctional Facility.

... [ More ]