A peculiar incident unfolded over the weekend at The Ontario Center aka The Richland Mall, when a local customer was escorted out of the mall by Ontario police officers after a misunderstanding involving a root beer purchase.
Tonie Sweeney, a business owner and family man from Ashland, Ohio, was shopping with his family at the mall when a security guard accused him of drinking an alcoholic beverage. The drink in question? A simple root beer, purchased from YummY Treats, a candy store outlet inside the mall.
Sweeney explained to the security guard that it was, in fact, a non-alcoholic root beer and even showed the guard the container. However, it appears the guard was unable to tell the difference between root beer and actual beer. The situation escalated quickly, with the security guard calling the Ontario Police Department. As a result, Sweeney and his entire family were asked to leave the mall.
Frustrated and feeling unjustly treated, Sweeney—who operates Ashland Muffler House with his partner Martin Seitz—was escorted out of the mall by police officers, which understandably upset him. As he was leaving, Sweeney stopped by YummY Treats to inform the staff that the reason for his expulsion was his harmless drink purchase.
John Haupt, owner of YummY Treats, was shocked by the turn of events. “It’s ridiculous that something like this could happen,” Haupt said. Upon hearing about the incident, he immediately contacted Crystal Tolliver, the mall’s management, to inform her of the situation.
Ms. Tolliver, who has deep roots in the community, expressed her disappointment. “This is my community, I’ve lived here all my life. I will treat all of our guests like family,” she said. After investigating the matter, Tolliver reached out directly to Mr. Sweeney to apologize for the incident and ensure the matter was addressed internally with the security staff.
Sweeney and his family were grateful for the swift apology and efforts to rectify the situation. “It’s good to see business owners and management take action when something like this happens,” said Sweeney.
In closing, we would like to thank John Haupt for his support of his customers, as well as Crystal Tolliver for her proactive approach in making sure such an event does not happen again. It’s refreshing to see business owners and community leaders who truly care about the people they serve.
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