Watch CBS News

Man Arrested After Not Returning 'Freddy Got Fingered' VHS Rental 14 Years Later

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) - A North Carolina man says he was arrested after failing to return a VHS copy of the 2001 comedy "Freddy Got Fingered" 14 years after renting the film.

James Meyers has been charged with failure to return rental property, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200.

The original copy of the tape that was rented back in 2002 belonged to a store named J&J's Videos, which has since closed. Meyers received a court date on April 27 for failing to return the video.

Unaware that a warrant was out for his arrest, Meyer was recently pulled over while taking his daughter to school for a faulty tail light. After the officer ran his plates, he told Meyer, "I don't know how to tell you this, but there's a warrant out for your arrest from 2002.  Apparently you rented the movie 'Freddy Got Fingered' and never returned it."

After explaining the situation, police allowed for the alleged video rental thief to continue to take his daughter to school and go to work as long as he would turn himself in at the end of the day.

On Wednesday night, Meyers received a phone call from Tom Green, the writer, director, and star of "Freddy Got Fingered" who is currently on tour in Australia, after a friend shared the story with him via Twitter.

Green told the Daily News that he is happy to support fans of his film and "if it's 200 bucks of course I'll pay it for him, just for the principle of the thing."

When he's not on tour, Green is back at his Los Angeles studio where he records his Play.It podcast, The Tom Green Radio Show. You can listen to all the latest episodes by clicking here!

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.