MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - A landlord said he wanted people to see the pain of his property tax bill when he hauled $12,656.07 in coins and $1 bills to the county treasurer's office.
Cary Malchow said the heavy load left him "out of breath" but it was worth watching three cashiers working overtime and guarded by sheriff's deputies on Monday to count every last cent of the semi-annual payment for his home, business and rental properties.
"I did it so people can physically see what $12,000 is," said Malchow, who has staged other recent protests to draw attention to Indiana's property tax increases.
It took 75 minutes to count out the cash, said Delaware County Treasurer Warren Beebe.
"They were fast, they were hustling. They're used to counting money, but of course that left other people standing in line. It was an awkward situation," Beebe said Tuesday.
Malchow's protest prevented the office from making its daily bank deposit, costing the county an estimated $1,135.90 in interest that would have otherwise accrued overnight, Beebe said.
More world Headlines »
- Death toll in Peruvian earthquake rises to 450
- The death toll from a magnitude-8 earthquake that rocked Peru's coast near Lima rose to 450 on Thursday, according to the UN assistant secretary general.
- Hunt for trapped Utah miners 'disappointingly slow'
- Rescuers who have been working for 10 days to free six trapped miners in Utah say they are disheartened by the slow pace of their efforts.
- Canadian students brace for approaching hurricane
- A group of Canadian medical students were holed up at their university in the Caribbean on Thursday, fearfully awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Dean.
- 2 Syrians arrested in Spain over missing Vancouver woman
- Spanish police have arrested two Syrian men in connection with a Vancouver woman's disappearance months earlier in Syria — but her family doubts the arrests will help find her.
- More remains pulled out of wreckage of Minneapolis bridge
- More human remains have been found in the wreckage of a major freeway bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, police said Thursday.