The punishment seems a little harsh for the crime here, wouldn't you say?
- A Dillard's employee who was fired after being labeled a "hot dog thief" should not have been denied his unemployment benefits, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Nolan Koewler was fired after Dillard's Fourth of July picnic in 2010 for eating two leftover hot dogs from the refrigerator.
Dock manager Mike Marz had bought the hot dogs and hamburgers for the picnic and said he told the employees to place the leftovers in the freezer to be saved until Labor Day.
Marz said he "believed" Koehler had heard that instruction.
After Koewler admitted eating the hot dogs, a store manager forced him to sign a statement to that effect or spend the night in jail.
Fired and denied benefits for eating two lousy hot dogs? Forced to sign a confession or spend the night in jail? Man, talk about zero tolerance.
Of course, if it had been chili dogs, even this punishment would have been insufficient -- take the miscreant outside and shoot him. But mere hot dogs? Hardly even a misdemeanor food crime. A mere infraction hardly worthy of notice.
