MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Two Home Depot managers are out of a job for stopping a would-be robber from stealing from the store.
Dustin Chester was expecting praise for going above and beyond the call of duty at work. Instead he was given a pink slip.
"You think you're doing a good thing, and you get fired for it," said Chester.
When he spotted a man breaking into and stealing money from machines outside the Home Depot in Murfreesboro last week, Chester said he and another manager didn't think twice about what to do.
"I ran after him and restrained him until the cops got there, and another associate helped me restrain him," said Chester.
Their quick action helped police catch the thief, but on Monday Home Depot fired both managers.
A corporate spokesman said the following:
"Our policy calls for any associate that witnesses criminal activity to immediately contact the loss prevention or security officer assigned to the store, who is professionally trained to handle the situation in the safest possible way,” said spokesman Don Harrison.
Chester said there was no officer on duty, and he was not aware of the policy and is upset about the way Home Depot handled situation.
"You'd think they would look out for their employees before they'd look out for a criminal, but it seems like they are more concerned about getting sued,” said Chester.
The Home Depot spokesperson told Channel 4 that this policy is in place to protect both their employees and customers.
Chester said he doesn't plan on filing any sort of complaint. Channel 4 was unable to reach the store's general manager, who was also fired on Monday.
Home Depot said its employees are told that violating the policy can carry serious consequences.
http://www.wsmv.com/news/13991885/detail.html
Absolutely contemptible.
Edit: Argh - wrong section - sorry, mods.
