Earlier this year, Melodi Dushane went on a drive-through rampage that was caught on tape. Today the video tape of Melodi Dushane punching two McDonald’s workers became public record. The video, which contains no audio, shows Melodi Dushane attacking workers because there were no Chicken McNuggets accessible.
Melodi Dushane’s crimes
Early within the morning on New Year’s Day 2010, Melodi Dushane visited a McDonald’s in Toledo, Ohio. The McNuggets she ordered weren’t available because it was breakfast hours. Dushane tried to convince the employees to give her McDonald’s McNuggets, but then attacked them. After punching and slapping the workers, Dushane throws something through the window and breaks the glass.
Melodi Dushane’s sentencing
Melodi Dushane was eventually charged with vandalism and assault. She originally pleaded not guilty to the charges. Eventually, Dushane was officially sentenced to 2 months in jail, and had to pay for the broken window. Melodi Dushane also admitted that she was entirely drunk at the time of the attack. The legal costs of the court battle could very easily run to the thousands of dollars.
Debating if evidence like this should be made entirely public
Some legal experts are wondering if the public’s right to know really outweighs individual rights. It used to be that when evidence related to court cases was made public, individuals had to actively seek it out. The information that is entered public record is now transmitted across the world in moments. Even those who have served their sentences for the crimes are generally implicated in these releases of information, which is usually weighed as less important than the right of the community to know what is going on in their area.What do you think – how should the two competing things be weighed?
