Reason First: What Role Does Law Enforcement Play in the Theft of Toilet Paper Rolls?

When it comes down to stealing toilet paper from a hotel, you know that we’re in a crisis. Florida man (surprise, surprise) Angel Hernandezcinto, 31, pilfered the white stuff from a Marriott Hotel. Security personnel caught the man in the act and decided to take action. The report detailed how Hernandezcinto worked for the hotel as a custodian and could easily obtain the establishment’s cleaning and sanitary supplies.

In his defense, the Florida man said that he was headed to a poor, needy woman to offer her the hot paper rolls. Like a scared child who remembered his lessons from Sunday School, the man chose to relate a yarn in a desperate attempt to save his hide. Regardless of whether she owned billions of dollars or couldn’t rub two nickels together, stealing is stealing. The Florida man should have known better than to take something that he did not earn. For his brazen disregard for the law, Hernadezcinto was charged with theft from a public lodging establishment.

This whole story could use some toilet paper. It is filled with disgusting actions that should have never taken place. The Florida man took those 66 $0.99 rolls with the intent of not being caught. His whole goal was to secure the toilet tissue and abscond with it. In an attempt to make the situation lighter, he attempted to appeal to the altruism of the law enforcement and others. They weren’t having it. And neither should anyone else. Why would this man even consider thievery of anything, much less bathroom tissue?

Yes, we are living in extremely odd times. COVID-19 is an affront to our general way of life and has affected nearly every sector of our daily existence. Folks have loaded up on toilet paper not because of the symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but because of the quarantine that people all over the world have been experiencing for the greater part of two weeks. But that doesn’t mean that you can go to your place of work and have five finger discounts on inventory. The Florida man should be ashamed of himself. For his failed experiment at being Robin Hood, he should be punished to the letter of the law.

We may be cooped up in our homes for the most part, but that does not give anyone the right to violate anyone else’s rights, in this case, the owners of the hotel. The Florida man should take all of this as a lesson. Instead of treading about as a crusader stealing from the able and plentiful to the wanting and indigent, he should focus on how to pay for his crime. The story, which seems like something that he made up to sound better in the press, is classic. Hernandezcinto probably figured that if he said that the woman desperately needed the TP then maybe law enforcement would “have a heart.” Rather, law officials possessed a brain and still charged him.

While it may seem funny, and part of it is, this tale might have dire consequences for people across the nation and around the world. What if staff from hotels decided to become immoral and started lifting toilet paper, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, soap or even shampoo? What would the lodging industry do to prevent all of this from happening? Fortunately, there are security guards that not only protect patrons but also stop fellow workers in the act and bring them to justice.

it is only right that there exist honest and vigilant staff at these hotels. For people like Hernandezcinto, it is time for them to face reality and remind themselves of the evil of stealing. In any other circumstances, this would be looked at as just a one time bizarre case from the 27th state. Let there not be copycats lurking to disrupt the daily lives of upstanding individuals. Even if it is that much coveted item now, toilet paper.