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Church's Chicken sued in robbery accusation

Workers call the police when a St. Petersburg man with a suspicious pouch enters. But it carried a receipt, not a weapon.

By WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE
Published February 25, 2006

Michael Anderson says all he wanted was a little chicken. He was a hungry man. So he visited a Church's Chicken in St. Petersburg in August looking for some food.

He said they owed him two meals because a few days previously the restaurant had messed up his order. So he carried a receipt in a pouch and entered the store sure he would get more food.

Instead he was handcuffed, surrounded by police with guns drawn and accused of trying to rob the place.

But Anderson, 46, of St. Petersburg was not a crook trying to rob anyone, St. Petersburg police confirmed. Anderson said he was humiliated.

On Friday, Anderson sued in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court, seeking damages in excess of $15,000, alleging Church's employees falsely told police he was robbing the restaurant. The suit calls Church's behavior "unjustified, extreme and outrageous."

The owners of the restaurant at 3510 Central Ave. did not return a call for comment.

"I could have been hurt by police," Anderson said. "I just want to know why (Church's) did this to me. Money would be great. Now I've got to get myself some kind of therapy."

Attorneys David Sockol and John Trevena, representing Anderson, filed an amended suit, replacing one filed by Anderson without the assistance of attorneys.

After he entered the restaurant, the suit says, a worker hit a silent alarm button indicating a robbery in progress. When police called to verify, a worker confirmed the robbery, the lawsuit says.

Turns out, Church's workers had their eyes on the pouch that carried Anderson's receipt.

The manager "assumed this pouch contained a firearm, and at the prompting of her employees pressed the panic alarm," police reported.

After interviewing witnesses, police said Anderson had spoken in "a loud and condescending tone" as he tried to persuade workers to give him his food, a police report said.

Finding no weapons, police quickly released Anderson and, he said, apologized.

And before he left the store, a Church's employee gave him his replacement meals.

"Anderson left the store happy with the outcome," a police report said.

Not so, Anderson says. After leaving the restaurant, he stopped his car and decided, hungry or not, he would not eat this food.

"I jumped out of my car," he says, "screamed and threw the chicken everywhere. I was just so mad."

William R. Levesque can be reached at 813 226-3436 or levesque@sptimes.com

[Last modified February 25, 2006, 01:36:16]