'Example of How Dumb These Users and Dealers Are:' Suspected Drug Dealers Jailed After Tipping Waitress Crystal Meth
The boneheaded generosity of two suspected methamphetamine dealers recently landed them in jail after they chose to tip a waitress at a classy steakhouse in Oregon with an offering of the psychoactive drug instead of cash and she thanked them by calling the police.
"While I should be shocked and surprised, it's just another example of how dumb these users and dealers are," Seaside Police Chief Robert Gross told Oregon Live. "The whole thing almost made me chuckle."
Gross said they arrested the two suspects, Ryan Bensen, 40, and Erica Manley 37, at the Twisted Fish Steakhouse where the couple had dinner.
When it was time for them to pay their bill, the cash-strapped duo reportedly paid with a gift card. Later, they offered the waitress an envelope with a question mark written on it.
"She was like 'Whoa -- what the …?'" recalled Steve Keszler, a manager at the steakhouse in downtown Oregon. "We're not a little dive bar or hole in the wall. We're a classy place," he said.
He said the waitress took the tip, calmly walked away and called the police as the couple hung around at their table long enough for the police to arrive. The lawmen found 17 more ounces of the drug in Manley's purse.
Police later discovered a meth lab in a room at a nearby Holiday Inn Express, where the couple was staying. Benson was charged with possession and manufacture of methamphetamine while Manley was slapped with charges of possessing, delivering and manufacturing meth.
