A Pennsylvania man is facing up to seven years in prison for allegedly failing to pay the full cost of a Mountain Dew bottle.
On Aug. 23, Joseph Sobolewski, 38, placed $2 on the counter at an Exxon gas station for his beverage, only for a clerk to tell him he did not pay enough, according to Penn Live. The store called the police, who later arrested and charged Sobolewski. A court gave Sobolewski a $50,000 cash-only bond, the report added.
The August incident is not the first time Sobolewski has allegedly committed theft, with several other instances occurring in the last decade, according to Pennsylvania records. Under state law, third and subsequent offenses are graded as third-degree felonies, the same charge for items valued at more than $1,000, the outlet reported.
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ExxonMobil told the Washington Examiner that it “does not own or operate any retail fuels stations in the United States.”
“Exxon stations are supplied by authorized independent Branded Wholesalers who either operate the stations directly or have a contractual relationship with an independent owner/operator,” the company’s statement read.
The Washington Examiner contacted the gas station that called the police over Sobolewski, but representatives declined to offer further comment.
The Pennsylvania State Police told the Washington Examiner, “it is up to the court to decide after we file the charges.”
“As troopers we do not make the law, we just enforce it,” the police continued in an email to the Washington Examiner.
Nyssa Taylor, the criminal justice policy counsel with ACLU Philadelphia, said Sobolewski’s arrest is indicative of a “punishment of poverty and substance use disorder.”
State Rep. Dan Miller, a Democrat of Allegheny County, also argued the charges are harmful to impoverished people or those struggling with addiction.
“It’s an out-of-balance punishment that serves no value and hampers people from reaching long-term success,” Miller said.
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There are more than 2 million imprisoned people in the U.S., according to the Sentencing Project. In 2019, only 8% of those in federal prison were serving time for a violent offense, the Prison Policy Initiative said last October.
Sobolewski is set to appear in court on Oct. 7.
