Utah Man Dumps 2K+ Pennies All Over Receptionists Office, Fined $140 for Disorderly Conduct

A Utah man has been found guilty of disorderly conduct and fined $140 for dumping $25 worth of pennies on a receptionist’s desk at Basin Clinic in Vernal.

Apparently, Jason Robert West, 40, was unhappy with his medical bill and decided the best way to express his irritation would be to pour out 2,500 pennies on the receptionist’s desk.

"Before pouring out his payment, however, West yelled at the clinic staff and used abusive language, according to testimony Thursday from a patient who had been sitting in the waiting room when the incident occurred," KSL.com reports.

"He was lambasting the receptionist over a bill," said one witness, who described West as "loud" and "indignant."

Receptionist Kory McCurdy said she was already nervous when West’s outburst began, but became truly frightened when he left and came back with a black bag and said: "I want to apologize for what I'm about to do. It's not your fault.”

Yeah, that’d scare us just a little.

"When someone says that to you, a few things go through your mind," McCurdy said. "You don't know what's about to happen."

Lucky for her, it wasn’t it weapon. It was thousands of pennies which he proceeded to dump all over her desk. And although none of the staff felt like the incident warranted calling the police -- indeed, they started cracking up after West left -- the doctors insisted they file a report.

West was eventually booked for disorderly conduct.

Vernal Justice Court Judge Ray Richards found West guilty and reprimanded him for getting out of line.

"I can't understand why a reasonable person would do that," the judge said, adding that it wasn’t the pennies that landed him in trouble but the fact that he scared the daylights out of everyone.

"Reaching into a bag like that would cause me alarm, too," Richards said.

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Front page photo source courtesy the AP.