Posted on 09/03/2009 3:23:56 PM PDT by JoeProBono
ERICHO, Ark. (AP) -- It was just too much, having to return to court twice on the same day to contest yet another traffic ticket, and Fire Chief Don Payne didn't hesitate to tell the judge what he thought of the police and their speed traps.
The response from cops? They shot him. Right there in court.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Now the police chief has disbanded his force “until things calm down,” a judge has voided all outstanding police-issued citations and sheriff’s deputies are asking where all the money from the tickets went. With 174 residents, the city can keep seven police officers on its rolls but missed payments on police and fire department vehicles and saw its last business close its doors a few weeks ago.
“You can’t even buy a loaf of bread, but we’ve got seven police officers,” said former resident Larry Harris, who left town because he said the police
Nice. Reminds me of some cities around here. Upland California and Brea come to mind.
I bet you are derided for hating all police officers by post 15. How could you put this up, don’t you know how hurtful this is?
It was anger over traffic tickets that brought Payne to city hall last week, said his lawyer, Randy Fishman. After failing to get a traffic ticket dismissed on Aug. 27, police gave Payne or his son another ticket that day. Payne, 39, returned to court to vent his anger to Judge Tonya Alexander, Fishman said.
It’s unclear exactly what happened next, but Martin said an argument between Payne and the seven police officers who attended the hearing apparently escalated to a scuffle, ending when an officer shot Payne from behind.
Would this have been Clinton's vaunted program to hire cops?
ping
As much as I detest litigation, this just yells for it.
Complete article here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5haXSW0np0eqNFStaxdAeRzXQzBkAD9AG3GS00
yup and they probably raised local taxes to pay for them after the grants ran out. Those taxes ran the businesses out and now you got a tiny 3rd world thugocracy
If by amazing you mean ridiculous ;-)
shot in the back.... prosecutor says no charges to be filed..
its a little thugocracy all right
Seven cops and a mayor for a town of 184 (2000 census) ... one guy got a ticket for doing 58mph in his own driveway (gravel road to his house from the road). Speeding tickets going for $150.
The victim, shot in the back, could be charged!!!
BTW- All the NAZI... I mean cops in town were in the court room when this happened. ALL of them.
Amazing... amazingly ridiculous
The event happened in Jericho, AR, not Ericho, AR.
The town of 174 residents has a police force of 7.
[Wow. They much have a high crime rate.]
And they “can’t remember” the name of the cop who fired the shot. Hmmmm.....
Columbus was disincorporated?
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