Everyone has a past. It is difficult to judge what a person has been through or where they are coming from. A policeman compared to a person panhandling on the side of a street, both have faced a very different set of circumstances that led them to where they are in their lives. For a panhandler, usually, its a series of bad decision making and unfortunate events that push a person to the point of standing in front of strangers with an empty hand. But is that always the case?

Two men were on their way to work in Richmond, Virginia. They go from the same route every day, see the same streets, the same people. One day, however, something changed. The men notice a panhandler behaving strangely. The woman, who was unaware that she is being watched, does something in the next instance which took the men by surprise.

Honking

Due to heavy traffic, Jake and Paul have to wait at the traffic signal for at least 30 minutes as the cars slowly move forward. Traffic during the rush hour was an unpleasant sight. But by this point, they were almost immune to the waiting. As a result, Jake was almost immune to waiting anywhere, even outside Paul’s house as he honks the horn repeatedly urging him to hurry up! Paul’s attention was caught by a woman standing at the end of the line they were waiting in. Paul had noticed her before too, many times. As soon as the cars would stop at the signal, she would come knocking at their windows to get some cash from people. Paul couldn’t help but feel sad for the woman. He couldn’t imagine living his life on the road, asking strangers for money. Paul’s track of thought came to an abrupt halt as he heard some commotion coming from the front of the line. His eyes caught the panhandler shoving her envelope to somebody’s car window, asking for pennies. Paul noticed that the man inside the car did not open the window, probably refusing to help the woman. But what happened next was something he did not see coming.

Unhappy

When she realized that the guy is not going to help her, the woman completely lost her cool. She began to say disrespectful words to the man inside the car. She took the envelope and shoved it to his window, rather aggressively. The woman was making a scene in the middle of the road. Jake and Paul exchanged uncomfortable glances. They both have been seeing this woman quite frequently on their way to work almost every single day. But this was something odd. Jake and Paul noticed how the woman went back to being normal as soon as a new set of cars stopped in front of her. She took her envelope and began to shake it in front of the cars again like nothing ever happened. This behavior on the panhandler’s part was raising some red flags for the men.

A Plan

Jake and  Paul decided to check out what is wrong with this woman. So instead of driving off this time, they pulled up their car at the intersection and parked in the nearest alley to where she stood to ask for money from people. The men noticed how when she was done asking for money, she took her envelope filled with bills and coins and went inside the parking lot of a fast-food chain. Jake and Paul stepped outside of their cars and began to follow her. The men were confused by what is happening. They witnessed the woman put the cash inside another purse and threw some coins in the envelope. They assumed it is her way of encouraging people to give her money. The woman reached the door of the car, and then looked around to ensure nobody is watching her. The found out that the car belonged to her.

Calling The Police

The woman took out her phone and called the police claiming that two men are harassing her in the drive-way. Soon enough, there were police cars lined up in the parking lot. The police officers stepped outside to interrogate the guys. The woman stepped away with a satisfied grin but little did she know, things are about to backfire. The police got the statement from the boys and went to interrogate the woman as well. Turns out, they agreed with the men that what she was doing was unethical. They began to interrogate her on her actions. The officers informed her that it is illegal whatever she is doing. They were mid-sentence when the woman ran back towards her car in an attempt to flee the scene.

Identifying The Woman

The woman was identified as Micha Leigh Dominguez. She is a resident of Richmond and is 40 years old. She owns a house and obviously a car. She is neither homeless nor a real panhandler. She has been faking it and making a fool out of people for many years now. The two men were satisfied with the success of their endeavor. They were glad a dishonest woman like her is being put behind bars. Now she can no longer steal or harass people on the streets. However, that was not the end of this event. What even Paul didn’t know was that Jake was recording a video this whole time and had captured everything that happened on camera! He decided to share this video on his facebook to alert people about these fake homeless people and to be careful the next time they decide to help one.