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Mental Health Therapist Accused Of Dragging Salon Employee With Car After Being Very Unhappy With Her Nails
"It's not a crime in Indiana to have a dispute over services. Does anyone think she went in there with the intent to steal?" said Charley Fowler's lawyer.
An Indiana social worker who was apparently very unhappy with how her manicure turned out is accused of walking out without paying and dragging a nail salon employee with her car.
Cops arrested Charley Fowler, 28, on Saturday and charged her with misdemeanor theft and criminal recklessness, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana, a newspaper in Munster.
Fowler holds a master of social work and is licensed to practice in Indiana, according to Psychology Today, yet police say her people skills fell short during a dispute over services provided by Diamond Nails & Spa in Valparaiso.
Fowler told the newspaper on Monday that she hoped the charges would be dismissed. "It's pending allegations," Fowler said, according to the Times.
Employees of the salon told police that Fowler complained about their work, yet refused an offer to have her nails redone, police said. When an employee called police, Fowler left without paying the $30, got into her BMW, put the car in gear and started backing out of her parking spot.
Fowler told police she had intended to wait for police in her vehicle, but decided to leave when employees began beating on her windows, the Times reported. She said she drove slowly and stopped nearby, waiting for police to arrive.
Police said a surveillance video shows employes following Fowler out of the business. As she backed her BMW out of the spot, one worker chased the car and grabbed onto it, resulting in him being dragged across the parking lot, police said.
Fowler’s lawyer, Bob Harper, told the newspaper on Tuesday that "It's not a crime in Indiana to have a dispute over services."
"Does anyone think she went in there with the intent to steal?," Harper asked.
Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel, whose office will make the final determination on charges, told the newspaper Tuesday morning that he was waiting to see the surveillance video before he decide whether to prosecute Fowler.
[Photo: Valparaiso Police Department]
