I explained to the Sheriff the history of this debtor and how my
client’s local reputation rested on being able to force him to pay.
At 4:00am the following week, the Sheriff ’s deputy parked his
unmarked car in the woods far from the site of the contractor’s
office. He sat behind the bushes by the back door with his cup of
coffee and got comfortable for a long wait. At 7:00am, the contractor arrived and parked in the back and entered the back
entrance. The deputy had to stay hidden, as he could not arrest
him until he was actually fleeing the warrant.
The Sheriff pulled up 20 minutes later in his cruiser with the
lights silently flashing up the noisy gravel drive. The debtor
switched off the lights and ran out the back door, only to be
handcuffed by the waiting deputy!
He was informed that he must pay the $700 he owed immediately or go to jail. The contractor offered to write them a check,
and when the Sheriff and deputy stopped laughing, they
informed him that actual cash was required at this point. The
debtor said he had to go to the bank. So the Sheriff said no problem, they would take him in the squad car in handcuffs to the
bank. The debtor pleaded that in this small southern town (not
unlike Andy Griffith’s Mayberry) everyone would know him
and his reputation and business would be ruined. “Well…”
drawled the Sheriff, “maybe now you know how the people you
owe money to have been feeling.” The humiliated thief was
taken right down Main Street in handcuffs to the bank and was
“the talk of the town.”
We were thrilled, and needless to say, there have not been too
many problems since in this particular town of contractors paying their employer’s fees on time. I personally learned from this
case about this “deliberate debtor” psychology, which I have run
into many times since then. Some debtors just assume that if
they fly below the radar with small balances, that all the creditors will write the debt off rather than sue.
Unfortunately for our debtor, that assumption was false!
Jennifer Hudgens, first prize winner, is vice president of The Kreller
Group in Cincinnati, OH.
Our runners-up are:
Norman Cowie, CCE
Vice President, Finance
Evergreen Oak Electric Supply and Sales Co.
Crestwood, IL
Allen Vickers, CCE
Corporate Credit Manager
A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.
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