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In the era of video rental stores, overdue tapes often led to persistent and intimidating collection efforts by the rental stores. Despite the decline of physical media rentals, the message remains clear: don’t mess with video rental places.
Caron McBride, a Texas resident originally from Oklahoma, was in the process of changing her name in Oklahoma county following a marriage when she stumbled upon a surprising revelation. She found a felony embezzlement charge on her record, all over an ancient VHS tape of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Shocked by this discovery, McBride recounted her experience to local news station KOKH-TV, “I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. They told me that I had an issue in Oklahoma and this was the reference number for me to call this number and I did. Meanwhile, I’m a wanted felon.”
A Texas woman was shocked to learn there was a 21-year-old warrant for her arrest in Oklahoma for failing to return a video she rented — in 1999. https://t.co/BK7rFeaKBA
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 25, 2021
The charge, dating back to 2000, claimed that McBride had rented the tape in 1999 from a now-defunct video store named Movie Place. Despite having no recollection of renting the tape, she suspects an old roommate of using her name to rent it.
Reflecting on the situation, McBride mused, “He had two kids, daughters that were 8, 10 or 11 years old, and I’m thinking he went and got it and didn’t take it back or something. I have never watched that show in my entire life. Just not my cup of tea.”
Over the years, McBride faced sudden job losses that she now believes might be linked to this unusual felony charge. After sharing her story on television, the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office dropped the charges. Nevertheless, she will need to take further steps to expunge the case and clear her record. This episode serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of disregarding overdue video rentals; they may catch up to you, or even those connected to you.
