Posted on 02/06/2014 6:02:36 PM PST by Olog-hai
A Predator drone designed to catch terrorists in Afghanistan was used to track a recalcitrant North Dakota rancher and his sons accused of cattle thieving and monitor them to see when they were unarmed and alert the police in a case believed to be the first where an American citizen was arrested with the aid of a drone.
On Jan. 14, 2014, Rodney Brossart was acquitted of stealing cattle and criminal mischief, but convicted of terrorizing police (a conviction he is appealing) and sentenced to three years in prison with all but six months suspended.
This all stems from an incident on June 22, 2011, when six cattle from a neighboring property wandered onto Brossart’s ranch. Brossart found the cattle and, not knowing to whom they belonged, penned them in an area known as the “missile site.”
Brossart refused to return the cattle without remuneration (which he is entitled to under state law), but the police asserted that Brossart needed to return the cattle to the neighbor under estray laws. …
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
“....North Dakota rancher and his sons accused of cattle thieving....”
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Did the drone also bring the rope?
This is the infrastructure for the US Berlin Wall.
Patriot Act was the beginning of our end.
So, was the cattle thieving just being used as a weak pretext for the “terrorizing” charge? Lots of questions to be answered here. It’s hard to sympathize with a cattle thief, but that doesn’t seem to be the crux of this issue, since he wasn’t charged with it.
I am the eye in the sky, looking at you, I can read your mind.
Very easy to do. They are always ready to say, "I was in fear of my life" and then as your body is carted away, someone will observe that at least the cop got to go home and be with his family. That's what counts.
Appears the owners of the cattle that wandered onto the Brossart’s property may have been politically connected for the police to have reacted in such a manner. Something prompted an attitude.
Whatever equipment law enforcement has, they will use whether they should or not. If you have this piece of equipment without the legal “rules” right there, they will use it regardless of the rules.
He didn’t steal any cattle. The cattle wandered onto his property and he didn’t know who they belonged to. He is entitled to compensation for any damages and care of the cattle under “estray laws” and that is why he wouldn’t release the cattle. He insisted on being compensated, as was his right. I guess the LEO felt he didn’t need to follow that law and arrested him.....after tasing him 8 to 10 times.
Not sure how that translates into terrorizing cops????!!
This story is repeatedly told inaccurately and slanted to demonize the use of the drones, but there is much better reporting to be had.
“This case should have never happened,” said state District Judge Joel Medd. “Chalk it up to stubbornness, to stupidity, to being at odds with your neighbors or any combination of those. We should never have been here if the cows would have just been returned.”
snip
Asked by Medd why he didn’t simply turn over the six head of cattle to his neighbor, Brossart said, “Sometimes things don’t make sense.”
http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/22473/#sthash.f5361kus.dpuf
He had a right to file a claim for payment for penning and feeding the animals with the courts NOT to keep them till paid. He was being a jerk to his neighbors and it all went sideways on him.
Whatever equipment law enforcement has, they will use whether they should or not.
***In reality, this is a bit of a victory because he was “only” tased rather than shot to death (along with his dog). Like you said, they’ll use it but when they are required to have less-lethal force means on their person, they will be held accountable when they go home safely & the citizen was shot to death. All cops should be required to carry tasers. If only just to save the lives of dogs.
This is an abuse of the law by police and a great example of why police should not be militarized with drones, equipment and weapons intended for use against our foreign enemies.
The rancher was not a cattle thief.
That is why he was acquitted of stealing cattle.
He was following the law - The police were not.
The police were doing an Obama onnd demanding he return stray cattle without compensatio him an that he was entitled to by law.
It sounds to me like the sheriff tried his best Andy Griffith imitation and was run off the property. The next day he brought the entire posse. All for the local Ernest T. Bass and his offspring. Every juridiction seems to have these types.
We had a local burned out drug user whose teenagers hosted a major drinking party at the house, when he was gone. The Sheriff's dept showed up and started writing minor in possession citations. Then the dad showed up and started freaking out so they wrote him 35 citations for providing liquor to minors and drug possession. This ended with threats to everybody in the county with a badge. A couple months later the kids got busted for robbing a drug dealer with a shotgun, so the dept seized the car and shotgun used. A couple months later he went on a coke fueled bender and was shooting a rifle off his roof wearing only underwear.
“Patriot Act was the beginning of our end.
Thank you GW Bush! /not
The problem is “we the people” have forgotten about Ruby Ridge. Not one fed was ever prosecuted.
And the drones? That is truly the beginning of the end. Rand Paul should have made Obama say drones wouldn’t be used against citizens instead of drones wouldn’t be used to “kill” citizens.
This happened in North Dakota. In Andrews, Texas the cops are arresting citizens for carrying guns in public even though it’s legal. And the cop agencies are closing ranks.
North Dakota. Texas. The cops are not our friends.
Exactly. Also the deputy had a search warrant and the brand inspector with him following the neigboring ranchers complaint that Brossart was refusing to return the cattle.
They used a drone for the specific purpose of determining whether they had their guns on them or not, so they could avoid a shoot out. The noise of a helicopter would have tipped them off and they would have armed themselves.
It’s my understanding that the family are sovereign citizen nuts.
He didn’t steal cattle. Please read the article again.
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