A Utah man has been cited on a charge of disorderly conduct after paying for a disputed medical bill with 2,500 pennies. 
 
 The Deseret News of Salt Lake City reports Jason West went to Basin Clinic in Vernal on May 27 prepared to dispute an outstanding $25 bill. 
 
 Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell says that after asking staff members whether they accepted cash, West dumped 2,500 pennies on the counter and demanded that staff count them. 
 
 Campbell says the incident upset staff because pennies were strewn about the counter and floor, and West's action served "no legitimate purpose." 
 
 Police later issued the 38-year-old West a citation for disorderly conduct. That carries a fine of as much as $140. Or 14,000 pennies. 

 Editor's note: To read a follow-up interview with Jason West and see his photo, click here. 
 
 VERNAL — A Vernal man has been charged with disorderly conduct after police say he caused alarm when he paid for a disputed medical bill in pennies. 
 
 On May 27, Jason West went to Basin Clinic prepared to dispute an outstanding bill, according to Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell. West, 38, apparently did not believe he owed the clinic the $25 it said he did. 
 
 “After asking if they accepted cash, West dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they count it,” Campbell said. “The pennies were strewn about the counter and the floor.” 
 
 The incident upset clinic staff, said Campbell, adding that West's behavior served "no legitimate purpose." 
 
 Clinic staff told West they were calling police and he left the office. Officers caught up with West later and issued him a citation for disorderly conduct, an infraction, which carries a potential fine of $140. 
 
 The case will be heard in Vernal City Justice Court.
– A Utah man was cited for disorderly conduct after he paid a disputed medical bill—because he happened to settle his tab with 2,500 pennies. Though Jason West did ask clinic workers if they accepted cash, they probably weren't expecting him to dump an avalanche of coins on their counter as payment of the $25 bill. West, 38, apparently believed he didn't owe the money to the clinic, reports the Deseret News. He demanded that the workers count each penny, and left when clinic staff said they were calling police. But the cops caught up with him, and noted that his actions served "no legitimate purpose." Added an assistant police chief, "The pennies were strewn about the counter and the floor." The infraction could carry a fine of as much as $140—which the AP points out is 14,000 pennies.