A junior high principal was fired after getting caught trying to steal an extra half-cup of coffee.
He would pay for a $0.75 cup, but pour himself a $1.25 cup at a convenience store, per local media.
But he was caught in December by a store clerk, who called the police as the principal tried to leave.
The principal of a junior high school in Japan was dismissed from his job on Tuesday after he was caught dispensing more coffee than he paid for at a convenience store, local media reported.
The 59-year-old male, who was not named, told police in the city of Takasago that he’d been pouring himself large coffees during his lunch breaks even though he’d paid for the regular-sized option, local broadcaster Yomiuri TV reported.
He realized during a lunch break in June that store staff didn’t notice when he dispensed a $1.25 coffee at a self-service machine while paying for a $0.75 cup, the outlet reported, citing the Hyogo prefecture Board of Education.
The principal said he poured himself extra coffee seven times throughout the year until he was caught in December by a store clerk, who called the police, per Yomiuri TV.
The coffee caper has led to the principal’s disciplinary dismissal, the Board of Education said, per Yomiuri TV.
He apologized to students and their families in a statement through the board, saying that his role was to lead by example and encourage discipline, per regional outlet Kobe Shimbun.
Local prosecutors decided not to press charges on the principal, Kobe Shimbun reported.
It’s not the first time Japan has caught convenience store customers trying to cheat their way to more coffee.
In January 2021, police in Kumamoto city arrested a 60-year-old man accused of repeatedly pouring $1.35 lattes into a cup for $0.70 coffee, The Japan Times reported.
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