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Woman charged with felony embezzlement for not returning 21-year-old VHS rental tape
Caron McBride spoke with FOX Television Stations about being wanted for felony embezzlement because of an overdue VHS rental tape.
NORMAN, Okla. - Caron McBride always prided herself on being a law-abiding citizen until she found out she was wanted for felony embezzlement after not returning a VHS rental tape in 2000.
McBride, who is now 52 and lives in Texas, said she recently went to the local DMV to update her driver’s license after getting married. The DMV notified her that she had an outstanding warrant in Norman, Oklahoma, where she used to live.
"It threw me off guard," McBride told FOX Television Stations on Saturday. "I had no reason to have anything like that on me."
McBride believed her ex-boyfriend, who had two younger daughters, had rented "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" from a local video rental store, but never returned the tape. The store, Movie Place, has since gone out of business, according to FOX 25.
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McBride said she has reached out to her ex-boyfriend.
"He has a Facebook account. He hasn’t responded yet," she said. "I’m sure he’s going to hide in a hole or he’s going to come back very happy that he’s made my life a living you-know-what."
All laughter aside, McBride said the outstanding warrant has impacted her life in retrospect.
McBride said she majored in business at Florida State University and has lost several high-paying jobs after her bosses ran a criminal background check. She said she was never told why but now realized her embezzlement charge likely had something to do with it.
"It’s caused me to have to work crappy jobs, two and three jobs at a time," she continued. "I have an education and I shouldn’t have to do that and struggle the way I struggled."
"The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off," she added.
McBride said the current district attorney for Cleveland County, Oklahoma, informed her that the charge was dismissed and her record was expunged. However, she’s now looking for an attorney to take civil action even though several lawyers told her she doesn't have a case.
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"I believe there’s somebody out here that’s going to see that I do," she said. "It’s caused me a lot of heartache."
McBride said the final bill from the video rental store was less than $60 and said she could’ve easily handled it.
However, the ordeal has taught her a lesson.
"I would say never rent a VHS tape, but those don’t exist anymore," she said. "I would say check your closets, make sure you don’t have any secret VHS from Blockbuster or any other place hidden in there and if you do, take it and get rid of it. Give it to the D.A."
The district attorney for Cleveland County has yet to respond to FOX Television Stations' request for a comment.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.