Dollar Store Distrubance Leads to Assault Charges

A delivery truck driver who screamed, swore and yelled at dollar store employees was charged with assault, reports said.

Oak Lawn Police arrived at the Dollar Tree store at 8727 S. Ridgeland Ave., in response to a report of a disturbance around 2:59 p.m. Jan. 25.

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Employees said the driver, identified as Edward P. Easter, 42, of University Park, had set up the roller line and began moving products off the truck. An employee was in the stock room with other store employees were pulling boxes off the line when the roller line began backing up with product, reports said.

The employee yelled at the driver not to unload any more boxes until they could catch up because boxes were falling off the line. Police said the employee yelled because the driver was in the truck and the stock room was noisy due to the overhead heaters.

According to the report, Easter got upset and began swearing at the employee. Her co-workers went outside and tried to calm him down. The employee avoided speaking to him, but Easter continued to make comments for the next 45 minutes, police said.

Easter allegedly dropped some boxes and threw a pallet off the back of the trailer as employees tried to calm him down again. At that point, police said he exited the trailer and came into the stock room where he confronted the employee and pointed a finger in her face.

The employee told police that Easter threatened to mess her up and began hurling racial slurs at the at the other employees, reports said.

Police said the employee felt threatened so she contacted her corporate supervisor and then Oak Lawn police. Employees told Easter to wait outside and he complied.

When police arrived, officers said that Easter admitted getting off the truck and threatening the employee. He also told police that he and the employee argued and exchanged vulgarities, reports said.

Police said that employees who witnessed the exchange said their coworker did not swear at Easter, but that he was simply agitated from her yelling at him and he worked himself up.

Easter was charged with assault and taken into custody. He was released on bond.

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