Service Clerk Chases Thief, Fired for “Leaving Work Area Without Permission”

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Keith Ireland, 56, was robbed at 4 a.m. while working his job of two years as a service clerk for a Hess gas station in Jacksonville, Florida. Furious that the thief had gotten away with the register, Ireland threw a two litter bottle of coke at the fleeing robber’s back and then followed him outside. He managed to get a partial license number, allowing the police to make a speedy arrest and return the register to the store. Prosecutors hailed him as a ‘hero.’

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1

Hess didn’t see it this way. They suspended Ireland for 4 days and then fired him. Hess spokeswoman Lorrie Hecker said the company does not elaborate on personnel matters but stated Ireland failed to follow company safety rules, noting:

Hess takes the safety and security of our employees very seriously

Ireland says the official reason he was given for his firing was: “leaving the work area without permission.”

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