Angela Eversole Charged with Trading Sex for Gas

Police officers conducting a prostitution sting on a Days Inn in Northern Kentucky stumbled across a situation that is both a sad and ridiculous testament to the times. Angela Eversole, 34, was charged last weekend with trading sex for gasoline, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Angela Eversole was observed on surveillance cameras during the sting and officers followed up because of her criminal history. Instead of trading sex for money, she was found to have been paid with a $100 gas card and other gifts. Kenneth A. Nowak, 50, was arrested and charged with promoting prostitution. Angela Eversole has pleaded not guilty.

While I wholeheartedly agree that this is crossing the line of decency, I can understand Angela Eversole's desperation -- if the story is true. Going to the gas pump these days takes me forever. I put it off, do anything possible until I absolutely have to get gas. As I watch the numbers rise, I can almost feel the grabbing fingers in my pocket, swiping each dollar painfully from me. As I pull away into the summer heat, I almost feel like I should go take out a loan just so I have gas money for the summer.

Surely Angela Eversole was sick of these thoughts and feelings too. Now, does this mean I would put out for gas? Not likely. If we're getting to the point where people are willing to trade sex for gas, the old first born child is going to get it next.

So what would I trade? First on the list would be my collection of CDs and DVDs. These number in at least a hundred and I could always buy more. If I didn't have gas to get to work, then there would be no money to buy replacements! Next would go the luxuries: cell phone, digital camera, even this laptop I'm tip-tapping away on. Never mind that it's my pride and joy, my dear "writing tablet." I suppose I could buy paper and pens. After all, you don't always have to worry about saving documents. I'm sitting here wracking my brain for anything else I would trade for gasoline. I don't have a lot of things of value. I'm a poor newlywed. The above are luxuries, yes, but they're not really necessary to live.

I suppose the last luxury and the most obvious, would be my air conditioning unit. Oh yes, I would give up precious filtered, frigid air for gas. That's what windows are for anyhow. If I had to go all out and return to the basics, might as well give up the air conditioning too.

Now here's the real question: would I actually do this for gas? Maybe. Now that I'm thinking about it, a lot of these things aren't really that important. I could earn more money by having a garage sale or even better, by riding a bike. But then this question would be defunct and this article wouldn't exist.

As of now, there is no end in sight to the rising gas prices. Europe has been dealing with this for a long time. You adapt and do what you have to do to survive. I would like to hope that Angela Eversole had another option to her rather extreme solution, but I guess we'll never know.

Amanda Van Benschoten, "Woman Charged with Trading Sex for Gas" Cincinnati Enquirer