Man Arrested After 14 Years For Not Returning VHS Tape

The movie? Freddy Got Fingered

Perhaps you remember Freddy Got Fingered, starring MTV prankster Tom Green, Rip Torn, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Shaq. It came out in 2002. It's the movie that caused Roger Ebert to say, "This movie doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't below the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels." It's also the movie that just got a man arrested. 

Let's back up here. James Meyers of Concord, NC did not commit a crime against the arts by re-enacting scenes from the movie. Instead, he checked it out on VHS shortly after its video release in 2002. And now, 14 years later, it ends up he still had it. When Meyers was pulled over for a broken tail light, the cops revealed the warrant out for his arrest for failure to return rental property.

Meyers says he only vaguely recalls checking out the movie from a local mom & pop video shop that's since closed. While the cops allowed him to take his daughter to school and to go to his job, he was asked to turn himself in later that day. He complied, and after hours with the police and magistrate, the misdemeanor charge still stands. He has an April 27 court date. 

While some chains like Blockbuster would charge the cost of unreturned movies to a customer's credit card on file, that same policy didn't always stand with smaller, locally owned stores. Whatever the policies at that now-closed Kannapolis, NC shop were, they were harsh enough to get turned over to the police and get Meyers handcuffed. So remember to be kind and rewind or the whole world might think you're one of the people who sees Freddy Got Fingered as brilliant agitprop avant-comedy from the guy who sang "The Bum Bum Song."


Source: WSOC-TV

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