Posted on 08/20/2013 11:07:33 AM PDT by marktwain
GILA BEND, AZ - Authorities arrested an Arizona Minuteman for allegedly pointing a rifle at a deputy over the weekend.
According to court paperwork, 49-year-old Richard Malley and two other men who are part of the Minuteman militia were patrolling the desert just east of Gila Bend, along Interstate 8, Saturday night.
Two Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies were checking nearby mile posts often used for drug trafficking when they came across mile post 140, court papers said.
When the deputies pulled up to the area, they reportedly flashed their high beams and honked their horn.
Court papers say Malley thought a crime was occurring when the deputies showed up, so he felt the right to flash his rifle and a flashlight at one of the deputies.
The deputy verbally identified himself as law enforcement, but Malley continued to point his rifle and asked the deputy to show identification, court documents said.
I hope that there is some video of the event.
If, as it appears, Mr. Mally cooperated when it was clear that the people who confronted him really were deputies, why was he arrested?
Badges? Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!
If they weren’t Maracopa County Sheriffs I would say it was THE FOREIGNER REGIME giving orders to arrest those stopping the illegals from coming in.
Know what? The guy is still alive to tell about it. He did the right thing.
Another arrest that makes no sense
Sometimes members of law enforcement are a special kind of stupid.
Even if the people DO show themselves to be deputies, why should they be able to disarm a citizen absent some PC? If they can stay armed, why not their employer?
I doubt that Sheriff Joe would condone such conduct from his deputies
Biggest problem is Mr Mally continued pointing the rifle at the deputies after they identified themselves. God knows a rifle pointed at you will cause your puckering string to clinch tight. Which probably explains the arrest.
Fear and adrenalin will do that. Better an arrest and release than the alternative. Remember these guys are not patrolling the border, but 60-80 miles north of the border and sometimes these minuteman groups are more in the way than they are a help. I live just east of this area across the county line in Pinal County and deal with deputies of both counties fairly regular. Never have I seen or heard them act beyond what I would expect. Like I said earlier, there is more to this story.
Anyone notice how in SO many ways authority now views citizens as THE ENEMY...?
At different times and in different ways, we are reverting to King George III, or Robin Hood & Sheriff Knottingham.
Authority is AFRAID of it’s subjects, for some reason.
You are assuming two things which are not shown to be true.
First, it is clear that the deputies never did identify themselves.
Second, it is only alleged that he pointed the rifle at deputies.
Why would a police officer refused to identify themselves?
He should have prostrated himself and groveled, like any good peasant knows to do in the presence of The King’s Men.
“I doubt that Sheriff Joe would condone such conduct from his deputies”
The question is, will Joe do something about it then? Make no mistake, Joe is still LE and has all the baggage that goes with it.
He may have a tough attitude when it comes to dealing with convicts, but does he have a similar attitude when it comes to policing his ‘brother officers’?
I can think of a lot of reasons. They might not want criminals to know their real name. They might be as leery about digging around for an ID in front of an armed man in the middle of nowhere, as Mr. Mally was leery of them.
I do not fault the officers too much, except after they decided that they had to arrest Mr. Mally.
There are so many details left out of this story that it is pitiful.
I hope that we will get both sides of the story before too long.
Always assume the proper position of submission to your uniformed betters, it helps the beatings to be less severe.
Be sure to thank the man for his concerns.
“ Numerous crimes have been facilitated by criminals wearing police uniforms and claiming to be police.”
Even if he may not be a police officer.
/ sarc.
Didn’t read the article, did you.
Also not aware of punks dressing as cops to commit their crimes?
Happens often around my area.
I would assume that "identify" would mean showing ones credential, not verbally giving name, address, and phone number. That is a routine and expected action; and the reason cops carry an official ID.
Yep, when a cop won’t prove he’s a cop then he’s not a cop.
In this context show a badge or something else to prove you’re real.
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