Homeless Man Shaun Fawster Charged With Crime For Charging Cellphone

BANGOR, Maine — Police have brought charges against a homeless man in Maine who helped himself to an outdoor electrical outlet to charge a pair of cellphones.

A Bangor police officer checking downtown businesses discovered 23-year-old Shaun Fawster charging his cellphones in an outlet hidden behind some flowers.

Fawster was charged last weekend with theft of services, as well as carrying a concealed weapon after the officer found a folding knife tucked underneath his shirt.

The Bangor Daily News says Fawster was later released from jail. It's unknown if he has an attorney.

Comments

[wildwitchwoman]

08:04 PM on 08/23/2011

How pathetic. With all the crime going to in the city the cops had nothing better to do then jail a homeless man for charging his phone. Christian charity is definitely something that these cops don't understand. Way to go Bangor, Maine.

[Todd Behrmann]

08:08 PM on 07/27/2011

Once again we are saved from the horrible crime of seeing someone charge their cell phone. The next step is imprisoning the dreaded criminal who dares to use a toilet.

[52centameters]

06:34 PM on 07/18/2011

Isn't that brilliant of Bangor Maine ! WOW 5.0v @ .50 milliamps. I guess this freaking bully should be promoted to fascist dictator of the FORCE ! Your SO right Jesus. They know not what they do. The insane in-charge of the asylum ! He couldn't have told the person to STOP THAT ? Charge at him with a charge for charging while down and out on your bare Ass spec out-let ! Crimes against humanities. Not collecting every fraction of a penny. OH ! And what was the cost to tax payers for this hanus crime ?

[c15stars]

04:27 PM on 07/06/2011

Now, I will feel safe, and sleep good at night, knowing the police are doing their job...NOT

[Dalm]

11:35 AM on 07/05/2011

It seems to be the case more and more that people are being arrested for silly things. Wonder if he owned stock in the local private prison.

[BoFo]

02:52 AM on 07/02/2011

They should have made him pay for the electricity he stole. Probably about 2¢.

[songchannels]

10:56 AM on 07/01/2011

This is a good example of law enforcement gone wrong. If there were no signs around, he was perfectly legal. It can be viewed as entrapment. As for the knife? Big deal. These cops need to give warnings and stop taking advantage of every little petty incident to punish citizens.

[tbot48]

08:51 AM on 07/01/2011

Definitly a slow night in Bangor... Probably confisticated the phones too because they were used in the commision of a crime...

[02c24win]

04:00 AM on 07/01/2011

Petty............

[Michelle Mazur]

01:45 AM on 07/01/2011

To those of you who are saying "Homeless??? Cellphones???" think about it. If you want to get and keep a job in order to get out of your homelessness situation, employers need to be able to contact you. You can't fill out an application without entering a phone number, you just won't get the job. I've been there, it sucks.

[wildwitchwoman]

08:06 PM on 08/23/2011

Been there too.

[degnanport]

10:57 PM on 06/30/2011

Must have been one Hel! of a slow day at the Bangor police dept. Good grief !!!!

[raptureready1958]

10:28 PM on 06/30/2011

He's homeless and he can afford a cell phone?????

[Wonder Woman2]

07:33 PM on 07/04/2011

A family member or community organization sometime provide basic cell phones- they have no text, camera, etc. Its for contact or emergency.

[wildwitchwoman]

08:08 PM on 08/23/2011

Homeless does not mean out of communication. A pay for time phone costs approximately $14.00.

[revwilliam]

06:30 PM on 06/30/2011

(begin sarcasm font) It is of the highest importance for national security that we arrest every one of these penny-ante drains on society. They should be loaded into boxcars and transported to concentrated areas, which we will call concentration camps. The people who have stolen billions are counting on your vigilance and loyalty in this important matter. The wealthy should not be inconvenienced! God Bless Amerika. And nobody else. (end sarcasm font)

[geomcd]

05:18 PM on 06/30/2011

Homeless? Cellphones? That reminds me of the year I worked at a homeless shelter. I decided with all the cigarettes, drugs, and booze they all had, I would spend my Friday nights doing something more worthwhile. There are priorities. If you put your money where you should, there would be little homelessness. Yes, there were a few exceptions, very few!

[noitall914]

05:30 PM on 07/06/2011

You are a phony. You use a cross as your symbol. Big deal you did some volunteer work. For all we know it was community service as punishment. Phone companies issue those with a small amount of minutes so people can have a contact number to dig themselves out of the abyss of homelessness and unemployment..Where is the compassion Christianity stands for. By the way for some people who's family member is mentally ill, that cell phone is the only lifeline they have. Shame on you geomcd

[wildwitchwoman]

08:16 PM on 08/23/2011

Not all homeless are alcoholics, drug users, or mentally ill. Some of these are individuals, families, veterans, and the middle class caught up in these tough economic times. No one thinks that when you collect unemployment that there is a potential to become homeless because your benefits run out before you can find a job. Read the papers, what's going on now is employers are placing classified that if you have been unemployed for a certain number of months do not apply. Discrimination probably, but damn hard to prove. When you live at a homeless shelter and are sincere about lookign for you job you definitely can not give the address of the shelter, so you use your cell phone to make appointments for interviews and list a friends home as your own if needed. Don’t judge until you walk a mile in their footsteps and then and only then will you have the right to judge, not before.

[smithmagster]

02:34 PM on 06/30/2011

I truly hope Homeland Security was briefed on this latest threat!!