Judge says jobless benefits can flow to fired ‘Fountain Lady’
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In August, Jessica McCoy, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, went wading in the famous pools at the Kansas City Royals stadium.
McCoy was arrested, spent the night in jail, and after her vacation, went back to work where she was promptly fired for reflecting poorly on her employer.
Should she get unemployment benefits?
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At a hearing on the question, administrative law judge Bonny Hendricksmeyer asked the appropriate question: "Why were you in the fountain?"
“I did not realize the gravity of the situation,” McCoy answered. “I did not realize I was going to get into that much trouble for it. And I just honestly can’t answer that ... It just at the time seemed like a fun idea. I did not realize I would get into that much trouble. I did not hurt anyone or myself.”
Good enough. The Des Moines Register reports today that the woman has been given unemployment benefits.
“Off-duty, on-vacation-in-another-state conduct, while certainly questionable on many levels, does not rise to the level of substantial, job-related misconduct sufficient to warrant a denial of unemployment benefits,” according to the law judge.
