Man Found Not Guilty In Hash Brown/Cell Phone Case In Area That Drew National Attention

A Fairfield County man “is loving it” after taking police to court over a distracted driving ticket when an officer apparently mistook a hash brown in his hand for a cell phone.

He wasn't talking on his phone, he was lovin' it. Or so he says.
Photo Credit: *McDonald's Kentucky Facebook*

Zak Failla

04/27/2019 8:30 a.m.

Westport resident Jason Stiber fought the law, and won, after being issued a $300 ticket for distracted driving last year.

Stiber, 45, who had just purchased a hash brown at McDonald’s near the Norwalk border, was pulled over and ticketed. Rather than pay the fine, he instead took the case to trial after a magistrate initially found him guilty of the infraction.

Phone records showed that Stiber hadn’t used his phone in the hour he received the ticket, and he reportedly had a Bluetooth device.

“It was probably the most expensive hash brown in history, but it was worth it," Stiber's lawyer, John Thygerson, said to NBC, without revealing his fee. "People can take the path of least resistance, 'OK, I'll pay the fine.' But others say, 'No, I want to pay more for the principle.”’

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