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July 30, 2004 9:44 AM PDT

Drop the phone--now

If dirty looks and frequent shushing aren't enough to get you to change your mobile phone habits, then welcome to St. Petersburg, Fla., where inconsiderate phone use will get you a shot of mace and a visit from Johnny Law.

St. Petersburg police records detail the weekend encounter of one officer with Warronica Harris and Terrell "K.C." Tolson. The couple was preparing to enjoy a screening of "Catwoman" at the Baywalk Plaza cinema in St. Pete but had some phone business to finish while the opening credits were rolling.

Officers asked the couple to cease the conversation, a suggestion that was not met with an Emily Post-level response, according to the police report. Harris' precise reply, according to police, was to tell the officer she planned to "hit the cracker in his head." Tolson made a similar pledge targeting another part of the officer's anatomy, according to the report.

"Suspects got hostile and were pepper sprayed," the report continues, noting that the couple were taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct. "The arrest served the purpose for the night," the report cryptically concludes.

Appropriate use of cell phones has become one of modern society's biggest etiquette issues as the devices have proliferated, with authorities ranging from Amtrak to the La Scala opera house weighing in on mobile phone manners.

Harris later told The Associated Press that she was taking an emergency call from her mother and that neither she nor Tolson made any threats to the police.

See more CNET content tagged:
officer, police, mobile phone, Florida, cell phone

Add a Comment (Log in or register) 2 comments
How about theaters install cell phone jammers
by Not Bugged July 30, 2004 11:19 AM PDT
No phone ringing
No yapping phone users
No need for cops
No problems

On-call people can use a pager(with vibrate mode).
Reply to this comment View reply
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