Last fall, a Des Moines man and his wife both lost their jobs at a local hospital for parking in the Emergency Room lot. One of the pair had a permit for a paid lot nearby. The firing came under the category of “misconduct,” and though Mr. Hodges did the parking, Mrs. Hodges was in the car with him at the time.
Mrs. Hodges’ claim for unemployment benefits were recently denied because the judge says the lot was clearly marked, and Mrs. Hodges knowingly broke the rules.
According to the article:
“…Hodges said the car was not hers and she did not have control over where her husband parked it. Hodges, who had worked at UIHC since 2009 and had a permit for a paid lot elsewhere, admitted there were two occasions in which she was a passenger in her husband’s vehicle when he parked in the emergency lot.”
I think Mr. Hodges has been duly punished for his crime: unemployed for now and sleeping in the dog house for 5 to 10 years. It’s a harsh penalty for a minor crime – rapists, robbers and drunk drivers get off easier, sometimes. But the Hodges will be more aware of parking signs in the future.
