Posted on 08/03/2012 5:37:26 AM PDT by cotton1706
Working in a stout former bank building with windows closed and air conditioners humming, Orleans County, Vt., sheriff's deputies didn't know what was happening in their parking lot until a neighbor called 911. A man on a big farm tractor, angry about his recent arrest for resisting arrest and marijuana possession, was rolling across their vehicles -- five marked cruisers, one unmarked car and a transport van. By the time they ran outside, the tractor was down the driveway and out onto the road.
Thursday afternoon's incident ended when city police in Newport, the county seat of the northern Vermont county, caught up with Roger Pion, 34, a short distance away.
No one was injured. At least two deputies had gone inside a few moments before after washing their vehicles, officials said.
"Nobody was hurt. That's the thing everybody's got to cherish," said Sheriff Kirk Martin.
Vermont State Police said in a statement that Pion would face seven counts of felony unlawful mischief, one count of misdemeanor unlawful mischief, one count aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, one count of gross negligent operation, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.
Pion was being held at the Northern State Correctional Center in Newport on $15,000 bail.
Sheriffs said they did not know if Pion had a lawyer. A phone number for him could not be located.
Martin estimated damage to the vehicles at more than $300,000; state police put it at more than $250,000.
Not only were their roofs and hoods caved in, but "the radios are ruined, the radar detectors, the cages in the cars ... We're going to have to get the jaws of life up here to pry the trunks open and see about the rifles and shotguns," Martin said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
Why do police cars have radar detectors?
Why do peace officers drive around with huge caches of assault weapons in their trunks?
Why do peace officers drive around with huge caches of high powered assault weapons in their trunks?
Yeah... I'm getting fed up with that attitude too... Any idea on where I can get a good deal on a really big tractor?
Why, to subjugate the people of course!
Arrested for pot possession. Title should read, “Another left-wing hippie goes postal.” No doubt he’s been smoking a little to much of what he’s been farming.
What is "it" that people have had?
We need bigger tractors.
“and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.”
Don’t see how this count will hold... Where was the accident?
This man did an immense public service.
It's kind of difficult to argue that any "accident" occurred. Some vandalism occurred, but it was no accident.
Stupid cops don’t seem to know the difference between an accident and an “on purpose”.
If it were up to me this guy would have to come up with $300,000 to cover damage to taxpayers’ property ... his farm might cover at least the down payment.
If these cars had those seizure inducing, drum solo light shows on them, then this tractor driver did a huge public service.
I’d want more information before I’d be willing to state that as fact. People have been busted over feral “ditchweed” hemp they didn’t even know was there. Tight budgets and the possibility of getting the proceeds from an asset forfeiture can make you a juicy target.
Your dog is hard to kill.
Sounds like something Burt Reynolds would do to Jackie Gleason.
Wonder if he was yelling “Yeehaw” the whole time. (or whatever the New England equivalent is)
I wonder if he smoked a fatty and was TOTALLY baked when he drove through the parking lot?
Since 99% of all government in this country has gone to the dark side and are the enemies of the people, I have to side with the farmer.
There are a few libertarian FReepers who might be displeased by that statement.
” one count aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer”
Who might that be?
They said there was no one in the cars..
If he wanted to get even, he should have run over their personal cars.
Nope. No accident. Quite on purpose. Do they have a "leaving the scene of a purpose" charge?
Take that, the South! LOL! Dukes of Hazzard my butt. !!
Good question. Cops NEVER exceed the speed limit when they’re on routine patrol, or using their cop cars for personal business.
It has been awhile back but one day a state cop came on our property with his lights on and stopped my husband who was on a tractor. OMG! That poor cop.
The stupid idiot said that my husband was making dust.
I see an image from future events...
Its cars with Internal Revenue Service on them.
Probably one of those black “assault tractors” with high capacity gas tanks.
A Vermonter would be most likely to maintain a steel, stoic gaze, perhaps only allowing a light smirk and even a cross between a chuckle and a cackle only after observing his finished handiwork.
Which reminds me of something from E.B. White:
To the world, a Yankee is an American
To an American, a Yankee is a northerner
To a northerner, a Yankee is from New England
To a New Englander, a Yankee is from Vermont
To a Vermonter, a Yankee is someone who has pie for breakfast
He was singing ‘’Green Acres” along with Ava Gabor as they smoked some weed and some cop cars.
me too, I side with the farmer.
To a pie eater, a Yankee is one who has apple pie with a slice of jack cheese for breakfast.
Mmm,mmm, but try getting that in TX.
A picture showed the tractor to be a fairly large IH Case, but I’m surprised it wasn’t done with something bigger like an articulating Steiger or such. I’m actually amazed a nonarticulating piece of equipment was big enough to do that.
/johnny
This guy is gonna be in a world of hurt, but I gotta laugh at this...somehow I can’t feel sorry for the cops in this.
I’ve thought I would like to have an old WWI or WWII tank, operational (no need for weaponry) that I could use when the SHTF and they start coming for whatever...just roll it down the drive and crush ‘em. And maybe have a big dozer blade on the front to then push ‘em out of the way.
“Which reminds me of something from E.B. White:
To the world, a Yankee is an American
To an American, a Yankee is a northerner
To a northerner, a Yankee is from New England
To a New Englander, a Yankee is from Vermont
To a Vermonter, a Yankee is someone who has pie for breakfast”
“Pot” pie?
My guess is the cop flunked science.
That might explain why this Yankee story is in the (New Orleans) Times Picayune.
They said there was no one in the cars..
Although I have no evidence of this, I assumed that came when the cops caught up with him.
That is right down the street from my Mom.
I guess he might have said, “aaaayaaaup” afterwards.
The don’t yell and scream much up there.
Aging been given a few lectures on driving from those cops, I must say the story made me smile.
And, pot growing in corn fields for personal consumption has been going on for eons.
And for those who don’t know...that part of Vermont is NOT the fancy Stowe/Burlington idiots. pretty much FDR dem’s...certainly not whack job Howard Dean Dems.
LOL. great photos. Too bad they knew who did it.
It’s too bad that one of the police officers wasn’t in the 2nd or 3rd squad car and saw the tractor coming at him off the other cars, I would love for this story to end the way it did with the Muslim on a bulldozer in Jerusalem awhile back....you know with a police officer climbing up the tractor and emptying his sidearm pistol into the a$$hole’s cranium.
I hope the insurance company sues the “farmer” and wins every bit of land and equipment he owns.
Now, this “farmer” gets to spend several years in prison, as well as lose his farm and equipment, when instead he could’ve probably fought & won the allegedly bogus minor charges he was already upset about.
Yep, great decision making skills......he really showed those police. Ooooh boy!
Nice going Ace. Freedom? Personal responsibility? Constitutional law?
Not on your watch...
Yea that sounds reasonable. Kill someone for damaging empty cars. If the farmer had a dog they could have shot it as well.
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