Paul Guadalupe Dine and Dash

Paul Guadalupe Dine and Dash

Caleb Pendleton, Op-Ed Editor

California’s Dine-and-Dasher, Paul Guadalupe Gonzales has been arrested and charged with fraud and extortion for going on 11 first-time dates and leaving the woman the bill. Crazy, right?! Paul, age 45, has been accused of 11 accounts of extortion with 2 other accusations pending. He did what most call, “Dine and Dash,” which is the attempt to go to places, preferably restaurants, order food, eat it and then leave the restaurant without paying for the food.

One of his accusers, a girl that said she only wanted to be identified with the pseudonym Jane, said, “It was humiliating, I was frustrated. It just left me in a bad place.” She ended up paying a bill for $218 dollars. Paul was sentenced to 16 years and 10 months in prison. His bail is set for $315,000.

Paul Guadalupe must have seen this “Dine and Dashing” no different than as any guy who goes on a date, and pays for the meal while his date enjoys a freebie with no intention of having another date with him. If he did, it would make sense. About 50% of people normally get away with Dine and Dash, but it depends on what kind of restaurant you run from and what the security is like there.

Paul Guadalupe should not have to go to jail for this long because there are crimes that are far worse compared to this and, those criminals don’t have to serve as long. Another thing is that all of the “Dine and Dashes” did not happen at once. They were spread out over a long period of time. He should have had a shorter sentence – enough amount of time to learn his lesson and some kind of financial penalty instead of being put in prison for 16 years.