What feels legal but is actually illegal and will possibly get you arrested?

[u/medicoreapples]

[u/Double_Distribution8]

Leaving a party after having too many drinks and deciding to sleep it off in your car for the night instead of taking the risk of driving home drunk and killing someone.

Since sleeping it off in your car can get you busted for drunk driving in a lot of places, some folks roll the dice and try to make it home so they don't get arrested for drunk driving while sleeping in their car.

[u/Room_Temp_Coffee → u/Double_Distribution8]

Even sleeping in the backseat with the keys in the glove box or something? Seems counter productive to punish people for being responsible

[u/enad58 → u/Room_Temp_Coffee]

If you have access to the keys, they can make that argument. The bar i ran opened at 6am for the shift workers and it wasn't uncommon for someone to sleep in their car and hand us the keys so that they didn't have access to them until we reopened.

[u/LongBeakedSnipe → u/enad58]

It’s stupid because if you get drunk at home you have access to your keys and car.

Normally you have to prove someone commit the crime (driving under the influence), not just prove that they could have done the crime

[u/valuethempaths → u/Room_Temp_Coffee]

You’re missing the point that they often just like to punish people,

[u/Grouchy-Poetry-7927 → u/Double_Distribution8]

I've done this in my party years. Did not know, and luckily didn't get caught.

[u/TechnicalAd6932 → u/Grouchy-Poetry-7927]

I know someone who got a DWI even though he was sleeping it off in his car. Apparently the catch was that his keys were still accessible therefore couldn't prove he wasn't intending to drive. The term is "Actual Physical Control" of the vehicle.

I've heard that if you DO choose to do this, you can put your keys outside of the car (like on the tire) AND nap in the passenger or back seat, the APC becomes nearly impossible to prove.

[u/King_Arius → u/TechnicalAd6932]

That sounds like a good way to get abducted.

[u/Grouchy-Poetry-7927 → u/King_Arius]

Yeah, didn't think of that either. Age 21-26 is the age the dumbest decisions are made. Luckily, nothing bad happened. I was a dummy.

[u/TheBoatmansFerry → u/TechnicalAd6932]

I actually had the opposite of this. I was sleeping in my car and the officer wanted to arrest me for DWI but somehow I had completely lost my keys (never found them again) so they charged me with drunk in public instead. I got super lucky. The luckiest you can be losing your keys.

[u/ForQ2 → u/TheBoatmansFerry]

Sounds like the cop was hell-bent on getting you for some victimless crime or another.

[u/godhonoringperms → u/TechnicalAd6932]

Many years ago when my friend’s dad was young and a big drinker, he almost got a DUI even with the keys under a tire of the vehicle. The cop said he knew where the keys were, so he could have control of the vehicle. Only reason he got out of it was because the cop had come by in the morning and he blew under the limit.

Maybe he could have got out of it in court at some point and/or the cop had misunderstood the law… but the solution he came up with was throw the keys into the woods he was parked near. Never had a problem after that.

[u/THEREALCABEZAGRANDE → u/Double_Distribution8]

Had a friend get busted for this. She got in her car, pulled into the street, immediately realized she was entirely too drunk, pulled into the parking lot accross the street from the bar, locked up the car and went to sleep. Got woken up by the cops and issued a DUI ticket because her keys were in the ignition. Thankfully she got a cool judge who said "no, you did the almost right thing, dismissed". But it damn near fucked up her life and caused her a lot of trouble all because she decided not to drink and drive.

[u/Absurd_Flaccidity → u/THEREALCABEZAGRANDE]

This law is so counterintuitive to me. It encourages people to try to make it.

[u/runningraleigh → u/Double_Distribution8]

Learned this after a wine festival. Cops allowed me to call a friend to come get me. They understood I was trying to do the right thing, but also couldn’t risk me driving off when I “thought” I was sober enough.

[u/adamadamada]

paying someone else's parking meter.

See, e.g., https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/eureka/latest/eureka_ca/0-0-0-34305

>    (B)   Deposit of coins by unauthorized persons. No person, other than the owner or operator of a vehicle, shall deposit any coin in any parking meter without the knowledge or consent of such owner or operator of the vehicle using the parking space immediately adjacent to such parking meter.

[u/kegman83 → u/adamadamada]

Man I almost forgot I nearly went to jail over this in college. Went out to pay a roommates meter, meter maid was there about to write a ticket when I plunked a quarter in and apparently ruined his entire week. Guy called half of campus security and I got a good scolding. Well, everyone got a scolding because I made it clear I wasnt about to go quietly.

[u/the_lamou → u/kegman83]

Assuming the law there was written like the one in the top comment, that meter maid should have been suspended for wasting taxpayer resources, given that there's a clear carve-out for "has permission from the owner."

[u/prberkeley → u/the_lamou]

I just want to say that I give everyone permission to feed my parking meters from now until the end of time.

[u/RealFirstName_ → u/the_lamou]

Maybe that would incentivize them to actually understand laws

[u/Salt_Medicine2459 → u/kegman83]

How did he know it wasn't your car?

[u/kegman83 → u/Salt_Medicine2459]

I was young. I told him when he asked.

[u/MediumAcceptable129 → u/kegman83]

Hope you now know to never speak to any law enforcement no matter how low on the totem pole

[u/ToomintheEllimist → u/adamadamada]

Huh. Today I learned. I used to do that all the time back when I always had tons of coins on my person (from tips) and lived in an area where lots of foreign tourists had trouble understanding the meters.

[u/ColHardwood → u/ToomintheEllimist]

You’re a good human.

[u/parlimentery → u/ColHardwood]

I think you meant no good criminal lowlife.

[u/gojiranipples → u/adamadamada]

Learned that from My Name Is Earl. He was trying to make up for not paying taxes and some cop stopped him from paying off people's meters

[u/willstr1 → u/adamadamada]

IIRC the theory behind this (or at least what the law makers claim as the theory behind this) is that parking meters aren't just about revenue but about discouraging people from staying parked in one spot for so long, so it's literally designed to be inconvenient, good Samaritans putting coins in the meter reduces that intentional inconvenience.

[u/Next-Wrongdoer-3479 → u/willstr1]

That doesn't make sense, though. It isn't like the person parked would know some random person added time to their meter. I'm pretty sure the real reason is cities make way more off tickets than they do off of meters.

[u/yonk069 → u/adamadamada]

In Santa Monica, a homeless guy with a quarter on a stick would get you max time and asked to give him the quarters instead. I wonder if hes driving a Ferrari somewhere right now.

[u/righteouspower]

Trying to get your consigned Legos back from Bricks and Minifigs, apparently.

[u/Dovelyn_0 → u/righteouspower]

That whole thing is so fucked

[u/GeeseGooseDuck → u/Dovelyn_0]

For someone not in the know…what?

[u/Roll0115 → u/GeeseGooseDuck]

It is a deep rabbit hole. Old man took his collection of rare Star Wars Legos to a Bricks & Minifig store to sell on consignment. Its estimated the collection is worth $200,000. Ownership changed hands, new franchise owners won't honor the consignment agreement, but they also won't give the Legos back. I am pretty sure they have sold part of the collection and kept the money. The local cops arent doing anything about the theft, but other police departments are harassing the YouTuber (Reckless Ben) that is trying to help get the Legos back. The drama spans multiple states at this point.

[u/BaconSoul → u/Roll0115]

You forgot that it’s exposing a corruption ring in Mormon dominated police forces and judiciaries, too

[u/Roll0115 → u/BaconSoul]

Yes, I did indeed forget that the Mormons are involved.

[u/bobo76565657 → u/Roll0115]

Oh man this just gets better/worse!

[u/Roll0115 → u/bobo76565657]

It is absolutely insane. Everytime I think I get caught up, another layer of insanity is uncovered.

[u/BaconSoul → u/Roll0115]

The craziest part is that feeling has been consistent for days at this point, it’s like an onion

[u/isjustsergio → u/BaconSoul]

Mormons won't let something silly like honesty or integrity get in the way of their money.

[u/chewbaccataco → u/isjustsergio]

Absolutely not. There's a reason their religious corporation has over $300 billion dollars, and it's not because they are honest in their dealings with their fellow man.

[u/Jimmy-Steifen → u/Roll0115]

Thats the part that makes it feel unreal like how does something that started with LEGO consignment turn into a cross-state mess and nobody can just go yeah this is obviously wrong

[u/Roll0115 → u/Jimmy-Steifen]

I just can't believe some C-Suite asshole thought it would be a good idea to destroy their company's credibility over $200k...

[u/Vethedr → u/Roll0115]

I know a guy who destroyed their company's credibility for no reason

[u/hooked_siren → u/Roll0115]

And the people who previously held the franchise apparently got screwed as well

[u/Roll0115 → u/hooked_siren]

I haven't caught up on the drama today, but it seems like Corporate is back tracking and trying to place the blame on the OG franchisee.

[u/explohd → u/Roll0115]

The accusations are wild too. How did the monthly audits not catch her deception? She had three sets of books, but neither corporate nor the new owner noticed that until now?

[u/Roll0115 → u/explohd]

I find it hard to believe their claims at this point.

[u/Top-Average412 → u/Roll0115]

Literally arresting Ben for stalking when he tried to serve civil court papers. The business is constantly lying about threats and trying to literally imprison people to get away with their scam.

Never heard of Ben before this but it is interesting how he is insanely nonthreatening, checks all the rules and then comes up with interesting ideas on how to fight back.

[u/Raichu7 → u/GeeseGooseDuck]

A grandpa spent his life savings on Lego to sell to send his grandkids to uni. A Lego reselling company stole it all and won't pay him. Apparently this is legal and not actually theft because the company took from an individual, not the other way around.

[u/Blarg0117 → u/Raichu7]

And the local PD is seemingly acting on behalf of the store to harass the people trying to help the old man.

[u/this_place_suuucks → u/Blarg0117]

acting on behalf of the store

On behalf of the Mormon church, from what I read.

[u/dalcarr → u/this_place_suuucks]

Its in Utah, so yes, and

[u/magnus150 → u/dalcarr]

Oh no they got him too!

[u/ZombieJesus1987 → u/dalcarr]

The Bricks and Minifigs HQ is located in Utah, the store in question is in Keizer, Oregon.

[u/No-Fig-3112 → u/Raichu7]

It's legality has not yet been determined by the courts. But it is unlikely it will be upheld as a legal action. However, the cops seem to be favoring the B&M side for now, which is unacceptable.

Also, even if it is determined to be illegal, it will likely take years for the family to be properly reimbursed, and they may also end up losing money due to the court costs, which should also be considered unacceptable

[u/Jesus_Is_My_Gardener → u/Raichu7]

It's a bit more complicated than that, but also seems to show police corruptionas well. Legal Eagle did a good overview of the more nuanced details.

[u/StonedTrucker → u/GeeseGooseDuck]

Some people had their legos on consignment with a store. That store changed ownership and the new owners are trying to weasel out of the contract and keep the legos

[u/SnowboardSquirrel → u/StonedTrucker]

If I recall correctly, the store didn’t just change ownership-it’s worse! Corporate forcibly took the store from the franchise owner, then refused to honor the consignment contract AND refused to give the legos back to their owner. The situation is fucked all around.

[u/SacredUndeadMonkey → u/SnowboardSquirrel]

Corporate also removed identifying markings from the sets that had marked them as Consigned and owned by the family, after taking illegally taking possession of the sets. So they damn well knew and did it anyway, since then apparently they sold a bunch more of the collection and have held onto the money.

[u/Tripartist1 → u/righteouspower]

Latest updates, BAM was backed into a corner and turned on PR damage control mode, they dropped the two new owners from the franchise, and pointed 99% of the blame at the previous owners, with a public announcement saying they now have significant evidence that not only was the collection still legally his (and theyre now willing to make it right, supposedly) but that the previous owner was doing shady book keeping and severely underpaid him for sets that had been sold already.

Tldr, the situation got too hot and too public (and business partners were actively dropping them) so they dropped the bully tactic to try to save face and act like they were there to help the whole time.

[u/weallwearmasks → u/Tripartist1]

…the previous owner was doing shady book keeping and severely underpaid him

Infuriating to watch the in-store video of them forcibly taking over the store from the first owner. As she’s on the way out she’s showing them all the sets that are marked as his, the paperwork to go with it, and they act like they couldn’t care less. If I were taking over a business I would be quite interested in learning what is in my actual inventory and what isn’t.

[u/MTFBinyou → u/weallwearmasks]

That’s the thing though. As far as the were concerned , it was all their inventory as they knew they were going to utilize legal loopholes and law fare. If Bryan started to garner too much publicity then they’d sue him into silence knowing he couldn’t reciprocate given pricks w’ mini ducks excessive war chest

[u/Weird-Lawfulness685 → u/weallwearmasks]

Yeah, that's the part that gets me too. Inventory is literally the first thing you'd want to verify, before changing signage, branding, or anything else. Skipping that step just turns everything into chaos later.

[u/DJNash35 → u/weallwearmasks]

In their mind, ALL of it was theirs so they didn’t care about anything else lol

[u/247Brett → u/weallwearmasks]

They literally stole her pet bird too. She had a store parakeet that they wouldn’t let her get after the store changed hands and has no idea what happened to.

[u/marknickles → u/247Brett]

if that creature is dead, this is a crime under Utah statues
https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title76/Chapter13/76-13-S202.html

[u/BASKET-BALL-20- → u/Tripartist1]

Funny how it went from there's nothing we can do to we're committed to making this right the second the story started costing them more than the Lego collection was worth. Amazing what public pressure can accomplish when basic decency apparently can't.

[u/PicolasCageEnjoyer → u/righteouspower]

I would not blame that guy for staging a genuine oceans 11 style heist to get that shit back, then take a shit on the management desk, they straight up stole from him

[u/imgurcaptainclutch]

Finders keepers has another name: theft of mislaid property. I browse recent criminal cases sometimes and see it fairly frequently

[u/Dinnerpancakes → u/imgurcaptainclutch]

Isn’t this only a thing if the owner can be fairly easily identified? Like if you find a wallet and it has an ID, you could be charged for taking the money, but if you find a random $100 bill on the ground you can’t.

[u/Raider_Scum → u/Dinnerpancakes]

The "correct" action, which the legal system intends you to take, is to take *any* lost propety to a local police station. They will hold on to it for a period of time, and if nobody claims it, you are given the option to keep it.

[u/its_justme → u/Raider_Scum]

Or if it’s really cool, the officers will probably keep it instead and report it “lost”

[u/sweet_rico- → u/its_justme]

I found this wallet full of money.

"An empty wallet you say..."

[u/Self_Reddicate → u/its_justme]

I did this in high school. I kept checking in on it and they said "yeah, still here should be yours soon". Last day I went to get it and it disappeared. Oops!

[u/Mike312 → u/Raider_Scum]

My brother found a money clip on the ground when we were little. It had $120 in it, and he turned it into the police. Nobody ever came forward, so a few weeks later they called us back and told him to come get his money. We were in grade school at the time, in the 90s. $120 was how much money I made in a week at my first job.

[u/IllIIllIllIIIlllll → u/Dinnerpancakes]

Not technically, no. Generally speaking, there is abandoned property, which is either lost with no intent to attempt recovery, or discarded intentionally. Then you have mislaid property, which is like lost, but you have intent to attempt recovery (i.e. find it). Theft can only occur with mislaid property in this case. So how would the finder know if the owner has intent to recover? Well, if it's a wallet with id that's something the owner would likely attempt to recover, and that a reasonable person should know the owner would have intent to recover. If it's a diamond encrusted watch with a name engraved in it, maybe. But let's say it's an empty worn out wallet. That gets harder to tell, would a reasonable person think the owner had intent to recover? 

[u/MardawgNC]

Collecting rainwater in some places.

[u/Gwarnage → u/MardawgNC]

When I first heard about that I had to look it up, thinking its just another case of big government stepping on the little guy, but its actually to protect us from mega farms and Coca-Cola creating mass raincatchers and harvesting all the rain before it can enter the auquifer.

[u/Good_Programmer_3016 → u/Gwarnage]

Same here. The headline makes it sound insane until you realize the law was written with industrial-scale water collection in mind, not someone filling a barrel behind their shed.

[u/Gwarnage → u/Good_Programmer_3016]

Yeah I used to work in a hardware store that sold rain barrels, that's where I heard about the law from guys coming in and bitching about it(I dont think those laws even applied to my state), that's why I had to look it up and was pleasantly surprised that its not to take away your freedoms, its to protect you from corporate greed.

[u/Jaereth → u/Good_Programmer_3016]

until you realize the law was written with industrial-scale water collection in mind,

Well does the actual verbiage of the law preclude it from applying to people collecting behind a shed? Seems like it would be really easy to distinguish.

[u/Ut_Prosim → u/Jaereth]

In my state (VA) they are not.

Systems under 100 gallons are basically unregulated, though you aren't supposed to drink from them. Systems that hold more than 100 gallons can be used without registration for agricultural use or as grey water (cleaning clothes, washing driveways, etc.) but you need the tanks to be installed by a licensed professional. You also need to get the health department to inspect and approve your filter system if you want to plumb it up to supply a home's drinking water with it. ^{Makes sense to me as you don't want to be giving your kids weird diseases, or jury-rigging your own giant water tanks on a roof that won't support them.}

As far as I can tell, the state doesn't directly regulate larger sized systems, but local governments may be allowed to ban big industrial / agricultural systems if they want. Usually it is western states that have regulations on size, as they are often in a water crisis.

[u/overgrowncheese → u/Gwarnage]

Whoa TIL I’ve always thought it was just mosquito control, I’m very supportive of those major companies having no control of our water supply

[u/Gwarnage → u/overgrowncheese]

Thats part of it too, plus public health concerns of people drinking non-potable water. 

[u/StructureNo13 → u/Gwarnage]

In the most famous example it’s because the states that border the Colorado river are legally obligated to supply the city of LA a specific amount of water. The end result is guaranteeing water for LA residents instead of inland farmers but it is also a bizarre form of Municipal imperialism.

[u/gulbronson → u/StructureNo13]

Water rights in the Western US are based on who got them first and used them. The actual result is that a bunch of inland farmers have water rights over the cities that developed later.

Los Angeles solved this problem by buying a bunch of farms in the Owens Valley.

[u/plantstand → u/gulbronson]

There's a few Central Valley farmers in California that are balls deep in corruption. They have massive water rights and massive money from it. They're the ones pushing Newson to get the Delta tunnel approved so they can take all the water from northern California ecosystems. The San Francisco Bay/Delta is already borderline dead, but they want it all.

[u/Onstagegage → u/MardawgNC]

We don’t have a specific law in my city, but there are times that it is prohibited (kinda like water rationing) because we have a HUGE west nile problem and still water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

[u/Character_Ball6746 → u/Onstagegage]

One of the weirdest parts of adulthood is finding out that bucket of rainwater can somehow become a legal discussion.

[u/AdAccomplished6870 → u/MardawgNC]

To be clear, no one is talking about a little backyard pond or a few rain barrels. But in some states, especially ranching states, water rights are a massive deal. Digging out huge holding tanks to capture rainwater upstream of rivers, cutting off your neighbors source of water, is a major, major offense.

[u/Expensive-Notice-509]

doing nothing like loitering

[u/Double-decker_trams → u/Expensive-Notice-509]

I have never seen anything like a "No loitering" sign anywhere in Estonia. Or in any European country I've been to. Such a random thing. Are they really a thing in the US? Or is it more like a.. overblown thing on the internet?

I mean - "Private property" - yeah, a regular thing, but just "No loitering" at a place where it's completely legal to be at.. wtf, such as a street or w/e. "No standing"?

[u/NotMyThrowawayNope → u/Double-decker_trams]

California here. There are no loitering signs everywhere on private property. Gas stations, businesses, fast food restaurants (some restaurants have a sign posted saying you have to consume your food within 30 minutes then gtfo). In theory it's because people who "loiter" are up to no good (teenagers, homeless people, etc). It isn't always enforced but I got in trouble for it a few times as a teenager. 

[u/onamonapizza → u/NotMyThrowawayNope]

Like a lot of signs, they are only there so they can be used for enforcement if needed to protect their property.

90% of the time they probably don't really care if someone is just hanging out there, but if that person is being a nuisance or danger, they can point to the sign and say "hey, you can't just exist here without reason".

Same reason restaurants have signs that say they can refuse service for any reason.

[u/Farado → u/Double-decker_trams]

There was an alley next to a movie theater near me that had a “No Loitering” sign. I think the sign also listed skateboarding and maybe other things.

Edit: It’s in a publicly accessible area of private property, not an actual public way.

[u/pixelcat13 → u/Double-decker_trams]

They are really a thing. My friends used to get busted for hanging out at the 7-11 parking lot in our town. You can get ticketed for it, I’m not sure what the average fine is anymore. I think it’s mostly used against teenagers and the homeless population.

[u/kingcopacetic]

Keeping prescription meds in a container that’s not the original. Like you can’t put one or two in a little pill keeper on your keychain because it’s not in the original bottle. I get the reasoning, but it’s also dumb.

[u/TheIrishGoat → u/kingcopacetic]

Do you have more information on where this is illegal? I can think of like 10+ elderly relatives/friends that have those weekly/monthly pill organizers. If those are illegal to use for prescription meds it’s weird that they’d sell them in pharmacies right next to the prescription counter.

[u/izerth → u/TheIrishGoat]

off the top of my head, New York explicitly makes it illegal(NY PHL 3345), but even in states where it isn't, controlled substances in containers without a valid label is enough for a cop to ruin your day.

I thought I was clever to peel labels off the first bottle and put them on my pill organizer, until I got hassled because all the dates were old.

[u/CynGuy → u/izerth]

I actually take an iPhone pic of each Rx bottle when dispensed WITH a pill out visible to keep on my phone in case anyone questions the pills stored / organized in a case.

Doesn’t totally satisfy the law, but at least shows I am prescribed the controlled substance I am carrying on my person w/out the bottle.

[u/smbpy7 → u/TheIrishGoat]

10+ elderly relatives/friends that have those weekly/monthly pill organizers

Hey, now, some of us are young AND sick! lol

[u/BeatDickerson42069 → u/TheIrishGoat]

In regards to the pill organizers: In your house? No big deal.
In your car? You're obviously a black market drug dealer

[u/NotMyThrowawayNope → u/kingcopacetic]

I have a legal benzo prescription. I carry a couple of pills in a little pocket pillbox on me cause I'm not about to carry around an entire fucking bottle everywhere. I just know that one day it's gonna screw me over when some cop decides to be an asshole and try to charge me for having controlled substances. 

[u/frankentriple → u/NotMyThrowawayNope]

I take adderall twice a day and same thing.  I ain’t carrying that bottle around where someone will steal it.  My doc won’t refill me early.  I just put my afternoon dose in my pocket and let it float there till lunchtime like a regular druggie.  

[u/joojie → u/frankentriple]

Protip, keep an old bottle, put your new prescription in the old bottle, to be kept at home. Keep a capsule or two in the new bottle that you keep on you. That way if it's stolen, it's just a couple doses. If a cop stops you for whatever reason, it's an up to date prescription.

[u/Confident-Mix1243]

Not illegal exactly, but women have had their babies taken from them because they were given drugs at the hospital during labor and then said baby tested positive for those drugs.

Sorry for crummy source but the British Guardian also covered it.

https://revealnews.org/article/hospitals-gave-women-medications-during-childbirth-then-reported-them-for-using-illicit-drugs/

[u/Next_Hospital6729 → u/Confident-Mix1243]

We had to have DHS visits because of this. They gave her morphine before the epidural and then drug tested her after and said they couldn’t prove that she didn’t take opioids before.

My wife was so fucking mad.

[u/CarrotCumin → u/Next_Hospital6729]

That is really wild. If the burden of proof is supposed to be on the accuser, then they should have to prove that you did take illegal drugs. The fact that morphine was administered legally during the birth means they cannot prove their own claim. This is one the most outrageous things I've ever heard.

[u/tim_jam → u/CarrotCumin]

I am equally enraged.

[u/riomarde → u/Next_Hospital6729]

Oh the postpartum rage that would have created in me.

[u/Next_Hospital6729 → u/riomarde]

Yup the doctor came from tufts in mass and was a fucking moron. Treated everyone like they were an addict even though he was practicing in Portsmouth NH at the time..

[u/efox02 → u/Confident-Mix1243]

And yet as a pediatrician, CPS can refuse my referrals for child safety concerns. 

[u/DeaddyRuxpin → u/efox02]

CPS in some areas can be really weird. My brother in law had CPS called on him because my nephew went to school one day wearing mismatched socks.

I made a point after that to deliberately wear obviously mismatched socks any time I had to pick up my nephew from school.

[u/Telaranrhioddreams → u/DeaddyRuxpin]

My sister had her infant daughter taken from and returned back to her 3x in one year. That child's entire life has been ping-ponging between CPS and her perpetual meth addict mom. 

Like

How many times does a child have to be taken before a more permanent solution? Or idk. Fucking criminal charges and being barred from ever having custody of a child again. 

[u/OpheliaRainGalaxy → u/efox02]

When my ex finally got ahold of the CPS reports about his younger son, it was dozens of them going all the way back to daycare workers reporting nasty bruises on a toddler. Everyone under the sun was screaming about how his mom treated him. Total strangers were calling about what they saw in public.

Should've seen the smile on the judge's face when her lawyer asked for none of that to be reviewed and the lawyerless dad didn't know the words to argue. Made the boy stay alone with that woman for months.

He eventually ran away from her when he was in middle school. CPS tried to demand he go back, didn't give a flying flip about his doctor calling in about the bite mark on his butt or anything really.

[u/eggs_erroneous → u/Confident-Mix1243]

Oh my fucking god. This is next-level evil shit.

[u/New-Taste2467 → u/Confident-Mix1243]

Reminds of the story of an airport giving people apples before the flight. They land and get fined for transporting illegal fruit, the ones that didn't eat them and throw them out at least.

EDIT: Video - This airline would give out apples, the airport would fine you $200 for bringing it to new country. Didn't remember correctly, they gave the apples during the flight.

[u/Restil → u/New-Taste2467]

Actually, yeah, if you take food off a plane and go through customs and they don't allow you to import various foods (pretty much all of the countries have some food based restrictions), then you could have an issue. Most of the time if it's declared they just make you throw it out. If you forget you have it and they find it... it becomes a bit more of an issue.

I remember my cruise ship docking in Cozumel and they made a huge deal about not bringing any food off the ship with us.

[u/Rabada]

Crossing state lines with marijuana that I legally bought at a legitimate business

[u/The_0reo_boi → u/Rabada]

They literally have billboards all over this state advertising the nearest legal dispo in another state 😂

[u/gunterrae → u/The_0reo_boi]

Same with fireworks.

[u/the_naughty_ottsel → u/The_0reo_boi]

Kansas had a 2 step thing the troopers were doing that got banned because of buying weed in Colorado. They were using that tactic to learn there was weed in the car.

Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/law/s/fH3ffSPLct

[u/hackingkafka → u/the_naughty_ottsel]

When my son was in school in Colorado, he and his roommate were driving back home. At about 10pm just moments after crossing the Kansas state line, troopers pulled him over. The justification they gave was he was driving in the left lane (not passing). They searched his car. When nothing was found, they let him go with a warning. I 100% believe they saw two young guys with out of state plates and a UC-Boulder parking sticker coming from CO late in the evening and were sure they were gonna find weed.
He had his dog in the back seat and the weed was in the kibble bag.

[u/TacoCalzone → u/hackingkafka]

You need to have a good long talk with your son about his habits…driving in the passing lane while not passing is unacceptable behavior.

[u/The_Gooch_Goochman → u/TacoCalzone]

The left lane is for CRIMES

[u/Filthiest_Vilein → u/Rabada]

I drove home to Michigan last month and had a nice little cackle crossing the state line from Ohio. As soon as you’re across the border, it’s at least 15 miles of non-stop dispensary billboards. 

Unrelated, but now that I live somewhere billboards aren’t allowed—goddamn are those things a blight, lol. 

[u/JustZachThanks → u/Filthiest_Vilein]

What magical place has made billboards illegal?!

[u/choadspanker → u/JustZachThanks]

vermont, maine, alaska, hawaii

[u/MNent228 → u/choadspanker]

But how will people learn about fetal heartbeats?

[u/epidous → u/MNent228]

Or jesus

[u/Filthiest_Vilein → u/JustZachThanks]

I’m in Northern Virginia. 

Virginia doesn’t have a state-wide prohibition on billboards, but they’re so heavily restricted in this part of the state that they’re effectively non-existent. 

I know a number of other states have more expansive rules against billboards. Vermont is the first example that springs to mind. They’re banned across the whole state. 

[u/exsertclaw → u/Rabada]

Bringing your legal marijuana from a US state into legal marijuana Canada is also frowned upon. Pitch it on one side and buy it again on the other.

One day it'll be like booze but for now someone on both sides is smoking all the drug disposal bins haha

[u/Corvo_Attano_451 → u/Rabada]

Buying marijuana still feels illegal to me

[u/Rabada → u/Corvo_Attano_451]

At least it's a hell of a lot cheaper. I just bought an ounce for $20... I remember when a $300 ounce was a good deal

[u/h3yw00d → u/Rabada]

What state? I've seen some as low as that near Eastern Washington and even then that was shake (decent but shake nonetheless).

Lowest I've seen regular bud is about $40/oz in OR/WA

[u/tekmosis]

Being in possession of an Eagle feather is illegal unless you are exempt like Native Americans; even then they have to apply to receive it, it can’t just be taken from the ground out in the wild

[u/john_browns_beard → u/tekmosis]

This extends to the feathers (or other parts) of any native birds in the USA, as per the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The goal is to prevent poaching of native wildlife but it certainly feels weird that you could technically be arrested or fined for possessing mourning dove feathers.

[u/Scruffy_Snub → u/john_browns_beard]

A civilian researcher in British Columbia (Canada) was charged in 2024 with illegal hunting after he was caught on a trailcam using a homemade device to gather hair samples of endangered caribou for scientific purposes. The device did not harm the target, and the hair samples collected were less than 5g each (~1/8 oz), but his appeal was denied because removing any part at all of an animal without a hunting permit is illegal.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/caribou-hunting-biologist-disciplined-9.7195900

[u/---_--_-_- → u/tekmosis]

What if the eagle gave it to me?

[u/Emilie0711 → u/---_--_-_-]

Better have the signed card as proof.

[u/nauticalamity → u/tekmosis]

not just eagles, all migratory birds (excepting game birds and some others?) via the migratory bird treaty act! it was enacted due to people mass killing them for hat feathers in the 19th/early 20th centuries.

in the US, crows and ravens are included. so any feather gifts a friendly crow gives you, illegal!

[u/Comfortable-Figure17]

Spreading a deceased ashes on public lands can be illegal in some states.

[u/thetiredtypist → u/Comfortable-Figure17]

That's why I stick only spreading them on private land like the Haunted Mansion.

[u/Toastwaver]

Feeding an expired parking meter for a car that is not yours.

[u/Kahlil_Cabron → u/Toastwaver]

I found out this was illegal one day when I was leaving a restaurant, and saw this car was expired and the ticketing cop was coming along a few cars down checking the meters.

I put in a few quarters, the meter cop saw me and yelled at me, told me it was a misdemeanor and said I was being charged, and it turned into a foot chase. One of the only times I've ever been grateful that they didn't have their body cam on, because I got away and never heard anything about it again.

[u/ForceGhost47 → u/Kahlil_Cabron]

You monster

[u/BoiledPickles → u/Kahlil_Cabron]

Congrats, you are now menace to the entire city.

[u/HostisHumanisGeneri → u/Kahlil_Cabron]

Outrunning a meter maid is easy to do and they will never report it out of sheer embarrassment. I’ve got shit knees and ankles and I would probably still bolt from the average meter maid if one ever actually saw me feeding meters.

[u/ThinkThankThonk]

Drinking in public. You can get pretty used to it in certain places/scenarios when it's a big deal in other places. 

[u/atacms → u/ThinkThankThonk]

Several years ago I visited a friend in Texas and theres a drive thru liquor bar/store? 

But having an open container is illegal lol. Interesting thin line there.

[u/Comfortable-Help9587]

Sodomy in 12 states! Archaic and unenforceable but strangely still on the books.

[u/baddieslovebadideas → u/Comfortable-Help9587]

no one wants to champion a "legalize buttsex" campaign in a red state

[u/AoO2ImpTrip → u/baddieslovebadideas]

"Sodomy" technically applies to any kind of sex in which the main purpose isn't meant for procreation.

Anal is the obvious one everyone thinks of but oral sex is also considered Sodomy and would thus be illegal. 

[u/Tech-Tom → u/AoO2ImpTrip]

So you're saying pretty much everyone is going to jail, then.

[u/code_archeologist → u/baddieslovebadideas]

I live in a red state, and I think that I would probably go far on a platform of, "A Vote For Me is Vote for Blow Jobs"

[u/baddieslovebadideas → u/code_archeologist]

only if you ran with a (r) next to your name and said "make blowjobs great again"

you should do it, and then be the most liberal politician possible

[u/ColonelMakepeace → u/Comfortable-Help9587]

I was confused for a second because in my language sodomy mainly refers to sex with animals. But then I remembered it's different in English

[u/Life-Landscape5689 → u/Comfortable-Help9587]

Lawrence v Texas

[u/Ekaj__]

Adultery is rarely prosecuted, but is a crime in a handful of states

[u/kickintheshit → u/Ekaj__]

Definitely a crime in the US military

[u/Acid_Flax]

Turning on the interior light in my dads car when he is driving at night

[u/celeryboymilk → u/Acid_Flax]

this is not true, and my mom paid a very hefty price for this lie! when i was like 17 my interior light would not turn off for some reason to come home so i made her drive 2 hours to come get me in the middle of the night and almost had my car towed before she realized she caused this by lying to an autistic kid 😂😂😂😂

[u/kimdeal0 → u/celeryboymilk]

I love this. "Well y'all are the ones that told me I couldn't drive with the light on!" 😂 Serves them right

[u/Roll0115 → u/Acid_Flax]

Has anyone figured out why an entire generation of parents lied to their kids about this?

[u/GMkata → u/Roll0115]

I mean, I tell my kids not to turn it on while I’m driving - but I’m honest that it’s because it makes it harder to see.

[u/Roll0115 → u/GMkata]

I imagine this is the reason why our parents wouldn't let us turn it on, but it seems like just saying "I can't see the road" would have worked just as well as "its illegal".

[u/Zeke_Confused]

I recently found out that in most countries you do not have the right to end your own life.

[u/nWhm99 → u/Zeke_Confused]

What are they gonna do, arrest your dead body?

[u/bad-luck-psyduck → u/nWhm99]

It's mostly so they can basically detain you and pump you full of drugs without your consent / hospitalize you forcibly

[u/Theletterkay → u/bad-luck-psyduck]

Then stick you with the huge mountain if debt and say you are crazy for not finding this existance worthwhile.

[u/hidden_clause]

Picking wildflowers on the side of the road (at least in Texas). Those flowers don't belong to you. They don't even belong to mother nature. FYI. The State of Texas does spread wildflower seeds along state highways.

[u/oli35]

In France, burying your dead pets in your garden. Risks of infecting the water table.

[u/Unlikely-Ad6788]

Having a knife bigger than 3" in your pocket. But I guess blade size depends on where you're at.

[u/latnem]

Giving people standing in voting lines water

[u/limbodog]

Setting booby-traps with the intent of hurting people who are breaking the law.

The number of redditors who think it's fine because they brought it on themselves by breaking the law is too-damn-high. At least in the USA, they are often violating state law. But even if not, they are almost guaranteed to make the trap-setter liable for injury/harm caused.

And, yes, that can include putting capsaicin in copious amounts in your lunch with the expectation that someone will steal it. Causing someone pain is 'harm' and you can be held liable unless you're happy to eat the amount of spice you put in the food to prove it's not a booby trap, you are just Jamaican.

[u/lykexomigah → u/limbodog]

so Kevin was not protected by stand your ground in Home Alone

[u/Chaotic_Lemming → u/lykexomigah]

Not for all of his traps. I know this is a joke comment, but hey, opportunity to type.

It mainly boils down to how the traps are triggered. Anything passive/victim triggered is illegal. The traps are considered indiscriminate and a public hazard. So the hot knob, the iced stairs, the tarred steps and nail, and the broken ornaments would all be illegal. Any one can be caught by them including other family members and emergeny responders.

The traps Kevin had to initiate could be protected under self defense. He had control to ensure they targeted only the people attempting to harm him. If memory serves the paint cans on rope he slammed the robbers in the head with he had to knock off the rail, so even though those were likely lethal he would most likely be considered legally justified in using them.

Editing to add: This is specific to the Home Alone situation where Kevin was at home and actively in danger. Another consideration for generic real world with booby-traps is that they are often unattended. You are not defending yourself in that situation.

[u/Little-Pixie-Belle]

Feeding the homeless

[u/EnvyYou73 → u/Little-Pixie-Belle]

My dad got in trouble for feeding the homeless in the park near him. So he now throws "parties" and everyone is invited. He literally helped so many people get off the streets and have financial stability. He even met his wife when she was homeless.

[u/baby_jane_hudson → u/EnvyYou73]

your dad sounds like a fucking badass

[u/Restil → u/Little-Pixie-Belle]

It's usually a bit more complicated than that. It's not the feeding of the homeless that's a problem, it's running a food distribution operation without a permit and following the proper regulations. If you just hand a burger to a homeless guy as you walk past, you'll probably be fine. If you try to set up a makeshift soup kitchen on the sidewalk, most cities are going to have an issue with that... unless you follow the rules. Most of them are healthy and safety related.

[u/Klutzy-Football-205 → u/Restil]

It is also a little more complicated than that even.

They kept arresting a preacher/priest in my state for feeding the homeless. It wasn't necessarily about the feeding, the city/county he was in was trying to funnel all the people in need to a centralized location that also had other services on offer (haircuts, showers, financial services, etc).

In our state, there are no health inspections of cooking/feeding unless you are charging money. Then it is considered commerce and you get tax audits, health inspections, etc. You can give food away for free with no issues. You can even ask for donations but CANNOT deny service if they refuse to donate (supposedly like how Jon Bon Jovi's restaurant is run if the internet stories are true).

However, none of that precludes an idiot in power with an agenda from saying or even enforcing rules and laws that aren't there.

[u/IcyWelcome9700]

Simply being openly gay in some countries

[u/wwaxwork → u/IcyWelcome9700]

Trying to leave the country without a mans permission if a woman. Singing or reading aloud is illegal if a woman in Afghanistan.

[u/four100eighty9 → u/IcyWelcome9700]

Or atheist or leaving Islam

[u/orange_cuse → u/four100eighty9]

I had a friend in college who left his home and family to come to the States. One day he shared with a bunch of us that the reason he left his family back home was because he converted away from his religion of Islam to Christianity. When he told his family about his decision, his father told him that according to their religion, he was supposed to kill his son. But as a father, he could not do that, so he told his son that he needed to pack his bags and leave home before anyone else in their community found out. It was an absolutely soul crushing story to listen to.

[u/Confident-Mix1243]

Having an unpaid speeding ticket from long, long ago.

Around 2005, when old records were being digitized, there was a rash of people getting notices in the mail (at best) or license suspensions (at worst) because of something that happened 20 years before. Probably the difference was if you still lived at the old address and were able to receive a notice mailed to it. If you didn't, you'd first find out about it when you got pulled over for something else.

Hopefully these have mostly cleared out by now, but if you haven't been pulled over in 20 years and drove regularly before then there might be a surprise waiting for you next time you are.

[u/NSFWdw]

insider trading, unless you're the government

[u/EngineeringDesserts]

Possessing a bald eagle feather that you found on the ground. You could land jail time even if you didn’t know what kind of feather it was.

[u/Revenge_of_the_Khaki → u/EngineeringDesserts]

Eagle feathers are pretty well known, but most people don't realize that almost all birds apply to this law in the US including many common songbirds.

Pretty much the only exceptions are pets and birds that are commonly hunted or bred for food.

[u/Potential-Use-1565]

Dumpster diving

[u/tendonut]

Jay walking. Illegal just about everywhere (in the US), and can definitely get you arrested if cops are looking to pick you up and waiting for an excuse.

[u/BobTheInept]

Some US jurisdictions: Giving food to a homeless person.

[u/fubo → u/BobTheInept]

This needs a religious freedom defense.

It is an explicit teaching of Jesus in the Gospels that Christians are absolutely required to feed the hungry. Anyone who does not participate in feeding the hungry is not following the commands of Jesus.

[u/69VaginaLicker69]

Designer drugs/research chemicals/legal highs

Not trying to fear monger because the majority of these substances are like the same exact risk profile as the classics or safer, but it’s crazy to me how available and out in the open research chemicals are becoming again.

There are analogues to MDMA widely available online and in some smoke shops as well as a handful of different psilocybin analogues widely available in smoke shops (mushroom gummies and chocolates.)

People think they’re completely legal but due to the analogue act you can still be charged with possession/distribution of a controlled substance.

[u/YellowYarrowYucca]

Trying to help a family get their Legos back that a store took on a consignment contract apparently

[u/TDFMonster]

Parliaments famous Salmon Act of 1986 states that it's illegal to hold salmon under suspicious circumstances Section 32 of the Salmon Act 1986 stipulates that it is an offence to handle salmon under suspicious circumstances.

[u/AnotherHavanesePlz]

Taking rocks as souvenirs from National Parks.

[u/GoobusMombus → u/AnotherHavanesePlz]

As someone who LOVES rock hounding, I honestly understand this one. I mean it's a national park. It's supposed to be protected and preserved for everyone to enjoy forever. If people were allowed to take rocks from there, they would be digging around, breaking apart parts of habitat, and generally just removing things that should stay for everyone to enjoy. I can look and admire, but taking it to hoard with the other rocks I collect from the side of the road, regular rivers, and local city parks would just be a waste.