Maine Man Allegedly Played Dead to Avoid Paying Rent, Arrested on Outstanding Warrant

A Maine man was arrested late last month for an outstanding warrant after his landlord contacted authorities when he allegedly played dead to avoid paying the rent he had fallen behind on, the Fiddlehead Focus reports. 

On the morning of August 28, Ted Zarins, 28, was found unresponsive in his apartment by his landlord during an attempt to collect the tenant’s past due rent. The building owner logically responded by calling for help. When a Fort Kent police officer and a Maine State Police trooper arrived at the residence, Zarins was miraculously “conscious and responsive and not in need of medical assistance,” according to Fort Kent Police Chief Tom Pelletier. 

While there, the officers discovered that an outstanding warrant was issued for Zarins, who allegedly failed to appear in court for a criminal threatening charge. He was cuffed and sent to Aroostook County Jail. Zarins is scheduled to appear in Fort Kent District Court on September 16. 

Paying rent is just a necessary evil that everyone must go through when adulting. And we get it. People fall on hard times financially, which makes it difficult to pay your landlord in a timely manner, but if Zarins’ story taught you anything, it’s that you probably shouldn’t “play dead.”