Tara Plum, of Coon Rapids, quoted in the Instacart . Incident

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Tara plum

Tara Plum is an Instacart operator in Blaine, Minnesota, who is accused of running an elderly couple’s grocery store because they support law enforcement.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Tara Olivia Plum, 36, of Coon Rapids “is charged with criminal damage to property” and faces 90 days in prison. The incident happened on December 6, 2021. According to the newspaper, the couple, who have not been identified, ordered $50 worth of groceries through a grocery delivery service.

Here’s what you need to know:

Police say the plum saw couple ran past their grocery store

In a press release titled “Instacart Delivery Incident,” Captain Mark Boerboom of the Blaine Police Department in Minnesota, revealed that, on December 6, 2021, “an elderly couple reported that they had ordered groceries from a local Cub Foods and request delivery via the delivery service Instacart. They reported that when they received notification that the driver was at their home, they decided to meet the driver outside due to the amount of snow in their driveway and were worried that the driver might get stuck if they had to pull over. into the driveway. “

When the couple opened the front door, the delivery driver yelled back asking them to check inside their Christmas wreath. “They also reported the driver was driving back and forth in the driveway. When they checked inside the wreath, they found a receipt from a grocery order with a derogatory message. After the delivery driver left, they discovered that their groceries had been passed in the driveway,” Blaine police press release said.

“After reviewing the contents of the written message, it appears the delivery driver’s actions were in response to a law enforcement assistance sign in the home’s front yard,” police wrote. .

“Homeowners have received full refunds from Instacart and support from the community. The delivery driver has been identified and the investigation will continue with possible charges for the foreseeable future. Please note that while it is wonderful to see the community support for this family, we are unable to accept donations for them at the police department. Once again, thank you to our wonderful community of accountability for the support you have given this family. “

The message told the couple to ‘Find another slave,’ the reports say

The Star-Tribune reported that the derogatory message left to the couple read: “Instacart doesn’t pay employees, find another slave.” It also labeled police officers as “racist pigs.” According to Fox9, the message reads “Instacart not paying staff, sry looking for another slave f— racist police pigs”

The “O” in the couple’s sign has been replaced with a heart with a thin blue border flag, according to a GoFundme page to help the couple. It raised more than $13,000 for a “grocery fund” for the couple.

“We continue to be blown away by the amazing support! Not only will this help you buy groceries and other essentials for a long time to come, but your generosity will also go toward current and upcoming medical expenses,” page hosted by Amanda Gray for know.

An update said, “A huge thank you to the Blaine Police Department for taking this matter seriously and for all the support they have given my family. And I would like to extend their thanks to the community for their level of support! ❤️” Gray also wrote, “Wow! What a great group of people! When we started this, we never imagined this would happen. We continue to be humbled and deeply moved by the support you have shown. “

On December 15, 2021, the family decided to stop accepting donations, writing: “Wow… we are humbled by each one’s support and generosity. This was completely unexpected and truly a blessing. Thank you for not even starting to describe how grateful we are. At this point, we’ve decided to close the page as we no longer feel comfortable accepting additional donations. However, we know that some of you still want to contribute. All we ask is that you return it to someone or somewhere in your local community. “

The couple’s sign reads “Thank you Blaine PD,” according to the Star-Tribune, citing the sheriff as saying the incident cannot be treated as a hate crime because “We’re going to have to prove the behavior.” made based on the victim’s perception of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age or national origin.”

Plum leans towards Facebook quotes

GoFundMeSign of the couple

According to Daily Mail, Plum posted on Facebook following the incident, writing, “Disorderly conduct and property damage for running through an Instacart grocery store that I didn’t get paid to deliver and the customer was refunded by Instacart, but somehow I damaged their property which they did not receive because the shipper and buyer of the order did not pay. ‘”

Plum’s Facebook page could not be found immediately. According to the Daily Mail, Instacart revealed in a statement that the company is “appalled by the unacceptable actions of this shopper, who has since been removed from the Instacart platform”.

“We will continue to assist affected customers and will also work directly with local law enforcement on any investigation into this matter,” the company wrote.

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