Posted on 02/10/2010 12:26:16 AM PST by Slings and Arrows
ROANOKE — A Roanoke man claims sheriff's deputies beat him in the city jail because of his burping. Thomas Scott Vandegrift made the allegations in a federal lawsuit filed last week against several deputies, the city, the sheriff's office and the sheriff. According to the lawsuit, the deputies were annoyed by Vandegrift's burping, which was caused by acid reflux.
Vandegrift was being held at the jail on a drunken driving charge. He pleaded no contest in 2008 and received a six-month suspended sentence, a $750 fine and a year of driving restrictions.
The lawsuit alleges excessive force, conspiracy to violate civil rights and assault and battery.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsvine.com ...
Daaaang! It’s a darn good thing he didn’t fart! Could you imagine what they would have done to him then?!
Squelch that Belch!
Some cops join the Force to use it.
I woke up this AM feeling like someone had used a Magical Wellness Stick on me last night.
Ping!!
Shrinks have testified many times in court that MOST police were insecure and bullies prior to becoming police. So we give them a badge and a gun with the government’s authority behind it and they are God wherever they walk.
No surprise this incident happened. /s
I’ve heard how some people can belch. I’m sure it wasn’t just a tiny burp or two.
And I can only imagine what he considers a *beating*.
The article is incredibly short on details but sounds like this guy somehow saw his opportunity to win life’s lottery.
Were people crying?
I think that's my insurance's preferred care provider.
That’s him!
When a suspect burps, the police can’t administer a breathalyzer test. It “invalidates” the results by giving too concentrated a sample.
They were probably upset that he “got out” of one of their tests.
Don’t ever go to Roanoke!
I know of only two good things which came from Roanoke, May and Carol Crutchfield.
So without the full story, you’re declaring the cops behaved stupidly?
Based on shrinks?
It sounds like the cops assaulted the guy which is stupid like you said.
Shrinks have more knowledge of what makes people tick than most of us and the data does prove that most cops prior to service were bullies and insecure.
If that hits hoe than you’ll have to deal with that but that’s simply the facts which will work in the defendant’s favor. /s
The article doesn’t give much detail either.
I never could figure out how someone could burp on command, but like I said, after hearing some people burp, if he was doing this repeatedly and obnoxiously, I could see where it would irritate the cops.
OTOH, what exactly is meant by *beating*? Lawyers have been known to be pretty loose with definitions and criminals NEVER exaggerate or lie, do they?
There just are not enough details given to even begin to condemn the cops, although I realize that for some, them just being cops is enough to get a guilty verdict.
It hasn’t been settled in a court of law yet.
So far, there’s only been an accusation and lawsuit, both as likely to be based on exaggeration as not.
It proves nothing about the cops guilt. It is *innocent until proved guilty* even for LEO’s.
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