TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

State To Prosecute 75-Year-Old Arrested At McDonald's

ADVERTISEMENT

By STEPHEN THOMPSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 21, 2008

Updated: 02/21/2008 12:17 am

CLEARWATER - The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office is pursuing a charge against Jean Merola, the 75-year-old woman who was arrested after not moving her car out of a drive-through lane at a McDonald's.

Jean Merola

Initially, Clearwater Police Department Officer Matthew Parco charged Merola, of Clearwater, with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, after he tried for 20 minutes to get Merola to move her car. That charge was dropped and replaced with a different misdemeanor: obstruction of a public place. Prosecutors filed the charge Feb. 14.

On Jan. 17, Merola was at the McDonald's at 1934 Hercules Ave. N. when she asked for an order of french fries without salt, which takes about 3 1/2 minutes to prepare. A manager told Clearwater investigators that Merola was asked to move her Lincoln Town Car and that an employee would deliver her order.

Parco was behind her in line with an iced coffee he had just ordered, but he could not leave because the Town Car blocked his way. Witnesses said he motioned her to drive out of the line. When she didn't move, he got out of his squad car, walked up to the Lincoln and asked her to move, according to an internal affairs file on the arrest.

Witnesses said Merola immediately started yelling at him, saying she was where she was supposed to be.

Parco let her yell at him for a couple of minutes, and when he started to speak, she interrupted him. Even after she was given her french fries, she refused to move, claimed to know Clearwater Police Chief Sid Klein and demanded that the chief come to the scene, authorities said.

Merola is scheduled to be arraigned March 6.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@ tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT