When They Stole My $1800 Chair and Got Arrested

I started a new sales job. The supplied office chair was trashy and uncomfortable. On day 3 I used my own Herman Miller Aeron chair — a serious investment. Next morning it was gone. A coworker casually sat in it. When I demanded it back, he basically flipped me off.

I talked to the owner. He casually said chairs were “first come, first serve,” even told me to arrive earlier if I wanted to secure mine. Next day — same guy in my chair. I told him to return it or I’d call the cops. He refused. So I did. With receipt and serial number in hand, I had full proof. He admitted he took it. My boss threatened to fire me if I pressed charges. But I said yes anyway. Cops came. They arrested him. I was terminated on the spot — but I walked out carrying my chair. He’s now likely to lose his security license and career in the industry.

So yeah: chair was stolen. He got arrested. I lost the job. The question is: did I go too far?

Office chairs can often be uncomfortable, leading to back pain and frustration during work

One person shared how a coworker repeatedly stole their expensive chair and refused to return it, eventually forcing them to call the police

Alright, so — what really went down here, legally? Ethically? And could this have gone differently? Let’s unpack.

🔎 The Law — Theft, Property Rights & Workplace Reality

At its core, what happened qualifies as theft. Across most legal systems, theft is defined as taking someone else’s property without their consent, with the intent to deprive them of it. Wikipedia+1

Your Herman Miller chair, with receipt + serial number, is clearly your private property. The coworker had zero right to take it. He didn’t just “borrow” — he assumed the rights of owner by using it as his own. That meets both the “act of appropriation” and the “intention to permanently deprive” elements of theft. LawTeacher.net+1

Many legal sources distinguish between different kinds of theft depending on who owns what. If you take property from your employer — that’s “employee theft” / “embezzlement” / “larceny by employee.” But here, the property wasn’t the employer’s; it was your personal property. So this falls squarely under classic theft or larceny rather than employee‑theft variants. Law Stack Exchange+2LawTeacher.net+2

Even in a shared workspace, personal items remain personal. Under legal and ethical standards, mess with that, and you’ve committed theft.

Hence — you had every right to report him, to treat it as crime, to get law enforcement involved.

⚠️ What Employers and Coworkers Often Get Wrong

One of the weirdest assumptions is that because we share space, “everything on the floor” becomes communal. But that’s not how ownership works. Stops being “your stuff” only if you abandon it — and someone else explicitly claims it. Otherwise, personal property stays personal.

That’s why many workplace‑theft policies and legal guides stress that taking things from another employee — even “just borrowing” stuff — is misconduct and can be criminal. POS Nation+2McKenzie Law Firm+2

Also: employers themselves can sometimes be on the hook if they “confiscate” personal items without justification. JustAnswer+1

So when your boss told you to show up earlier if you wanted your chair — that was totally irrelevant in a legal sense. It’s like telling someone to arrive earlier to avoid having their car stolen from a parking lot. Not a legit excuse.

🧾 What The Arrest Really Means — And Why the System Took It Seriously

Because the chair was expensive and had a serial number — you had solid evidence. Serial-numbered items are a big deal legally. If someone takes them and the original owner can prove ownership, that’s a huge red flag. In many jurisdictions, that makes it a serious offense. Justia State Codes Files+1

When someone’s arrested for stealing property of significant value — even something as mundane as an office chair — they risk more than just job loss. They may face criminal charges, fines, jail, and future background‑check issues. Hussein and Webber+2McKenzie Law Firm+2

Also, once there’s an arrest + record, their license in a regulated field (like security) is very likely to be revoked. That’s not overreaction — that’s consequences for serious misconduct.

So this wasn’t petty drama. This was theft with evidence, and the law treated it accordingly.

🤔 Could It Have Gone Differently? What Are Alternatives for “Less Drastic” Handling

Putting on my skeptical hat — I can see why some folks might say you went nuclear. You got a coworker arrested, cost him his job, maybe ruined his career. That’s heavy for a chair.

Alternative routes could’ve included:

• Sleeping outside the office to arrive “first,” to block him out (as your boss suggested). Sounds dumb, but that’s basically what he implicitly proposed.
• Confronting him in front of management, threatening paperwork or demand return instead of calling cops — maybe escalate HR if the company had one.
• Leaving your personal chair at home after all — but that sucks if the provided chair hurts your back.

Problem is: these routes assume goodwill. They assume coworker respects boundaries or management enforces fairness. Here, coworker clearly didn’t. And your boss didn’t care. So non‑legal routes likely would have failed.

Once he admitted he took it, and you had serial + receipt, that gave law enforcement full justification. Maybe that sounds intense — but ignoring it could’ve encouraged more theft (of chairs, or laptops or whatever) in that workplace.

🎯 Bigger Picture: Why This Matters — Precedent, Respect & Deterrence

When you make a stand — even over something as “small” as a chair — you’re reinforcing a bigger principle: personal property matters, even in communal workspaces.

That signals to everyone else: you don’t touch stuff that isn’t yours. That reduces future theft. That sets expectation.

From employer’s side, this shows the importance of clear policy. No “first come first serve” if employees bring personal equipment. Companies should clarify what is communal and what’s personal. A good theft policy protects everyone. caseiq.com+1

Moreover, for people working in regulated industries (like security), a theft conviction — even for a chair — can be career‑ending. So it’s not just about “oh he lost a chair” — it’s “he lost his livelihood” because he violated trust.

🤷‍♂️ So was you the asshole? A little introspection.

If I were you, I think I’d lean no — you’re not the asshole. Here’s why:

• You owned the chair. Full stop.
• He stole it. That’s theft. Criminal theft.
• You tried other recourse — asked, got ignored, got threatened.

Yes, calling cops escalated things. Maybe it feels harsh to some — but sometimes theft deserves cops. Maybe it sucks that a guy lost his job. But he made that choice.

Also — you didn’t do it purely out of spite. You did it to protect your rightful property.

That said — I see why someone might call you harsh or vengeful. You did get him arrested. For a chair. If I were risk‑averse, maybe I’d have tried HR or workplace mediation first (if existed). But given context — new job, uncooperative boss — you might’ve been out of options.

In short: you’re not some petty grudge‑caller. You enforced boundaries. You protected your stuff. The coworker crossed a clear line.

Many people online suggested that the author consider taking legal action against the company

Workplaces today often blur boundaries. Shared desks, hot‑desking, communal equipment — but personal stuff still matters. And when you bring your own gear, you have a right to expect it stays yours.

If a place doesn’t respect that — maybe you leave. Or you make clear your expectations immediately. And if someone steals — law doesn’t care if it’s “just a chair.” Theft is theft.

So yeah — maybe this sounds intense. But maybe we need more intensity when people think they can just help themselves to other folks’ stuff.