Cop suspended for coffee shakedowns

CHICAGO, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A Chicago police officer has been suspended for demanding free coffee and pastries from Starbucks coffee shops, documents show.

Officer Barbara Nevers, 55, allegedly showed her gun and intimidated shop employees over the course of several years until she was banned from the stores, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Nevers was suspended for 18 months and recommended for counseling, Chicago Police Board documents showed. The newspaper said documents detailing testimony before the police board indicated Starbucks employees would frequently give complimentary 12-ounce coffees to police officers, but that Nevers would often ask for a larger sizes or multiple drinks.

Between 1999 and 2004, Nevers allegedly appeared weekly at six Starbucks outlets on the city's North Side, often in street clothes, flashing a badge or flipping her jacket to reveal her gun if asked for payment. The Tribune said that she was accused of stealing a juice drink from one Starbucks in 2004, but eventually was acquitted.