Outliers: Refill mix-up becomes a federal case

Call it the case of the supersized fine. A man who faced a $525 fine for an 89-cent drink refill at a Veterans Affairs hospital apparently will get off with just a warning, according to the Associated Press.

When Christopher Lewis of North Charleston, S.C., refilled his drink without paying recently, a federal police officer gave him a ticket. Lewis, a construction worker who was working at the Charleston hospital, said he never noticed the signs and has refilled his drink before without paying.

“Every time I look at the ticket, it's unbelievable to me,” Lewis told local TV station WCSC.

Outliers notes that the $525 fine is enough to buy more than 580 sodas.

VA spokeswoman Tonya Lobbestael said after reviewing what happened at the Ralph C. Johnson Center, officials decided a warning was sufficient.

Lobbestael said the center's cafeteria has signs posted on its drink machines indicating the cost of refills. Failing to pay for refills is considered shoplifting.