Posted on 10/29/2004 6:56:10 AM PDT by Dubya
EULESS - Ashley Owen White never dreamed that one day she would be pulled over and accused of speeding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
But on Oct. 21, that's what happened, leaving the 26-year-old family counselor scared and perplexed. All she wanted, she said Thursday, "was to vote early."
Euless police reports state that an EPA special agent pulled White over in the parking lot of Trinity High School. White, of Bedford, said the agent never gave her a badge number or name after he stopped her in an unmarked sports utility vehicle.
A Tarrant county prosecutor said the EPA agent had authority to stop her, but state laws appear to say different.
The incident is an internal matter, said Warren Amburn of the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division in Dallas, where the agent, Carlton Patton, works.
Patton could not be reached Thursday for comment.
White said she plans to file a complaint against the agent with Euless police.
"I was crying after Euless police arrived because I still didn't know what his intentions were at that time," White said. "I was shaking."
Patton saw White driving a BMW traveling 30 to 35 mph in a 25 mph school zone in front of Euless Junior High about 3 p.m. Oct. 21, according to Euless police reports.
In an interview Thursday, White said she wasn't speeding. She said she was on the access road heading toward the Euless Library for early voting.
At the next traffic signal, Patton pulled up beside White, waved at her and rolled down his window, reports state. He told her that she needed to slow down in the school zone. She looked away, but he got her attention again by waving, and then flashed a badge. White saw the badge but didn't get the number, she said.
White drove through the intersection, and reports say Patton followed and turned on his emergency lights. He stopped her in the parking lot of Trinity High School, the reports state.
The reports say Patton and White accused each other of refusing to provide identification.
"He finally said he was a special agent with the EPA," White said Thursday. "That's when I answered, 'And you pulled me over for what?' Patton said he was heading up a program to keep kids safe in school zones, White said.
"I had heard of people impersonating officers and then raping female victims," White said. "I kept asking him for his badge and name, and he wouldn't give it to me. I was on the phone with my husband and Dad, and they kept telling me to drive off, but I wanted to get his badge number and name."
Although she never got the badge number and name, Patton's business card was attached to police reports.
Sometime during the incident, Patton called Euless police for backup, according to reports. Two patrol officers arrived. White was allowed to leave without being issued a speeding ticket. Patton also left after talking to officers.
Euless police Lt. Steve Eskew said Thursday that the department was not investigating.
A Tarrant County prosecutor said Thursday that the EPA agent did have authority.
"His version was that there was a breach of peace because she was speeding and almost hit a vehicle," said Kurt Stallings, a Tarrant County assistant district attorney who spoke to EPA officials in Washington about the matter Thursday.
The Euless police report does not mention White nearly hitting a vehicle.
The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure defines 34 types of peace officers in the state, including police officers and deputies, who may arrest someone without a warrant if the offense is a felony or an offense against the public peace, including traffic offenses.
The code of criminal procedure also notes that criminal investigators of the United States are not peace officers of the state, but they have the power to arrest, search or seizure during a felony.
Under the Texas Penal Code, speeding in a school zone is not a felony.
Yeah, that's happened, but not usually in broad daylight in a school parking lot. Sounds like this woman was feeling guilty for speeding and is projecting a whole lot of frap on the guy who caught her and pulled her over.
Another case of a badge being the equivalent of 4" elevator shoes and a double-dose of pseudo-testosterone.
Lower the bar of 'felony' sufficiently and we will all be disarmed as 'felons'. Further, 'felony' is a measure of the severity of punishment and not of 'crime' and is directed by mere legislators.
i feel bad for the woman, but in a few days she will be no worse for the wear. on the other hand, what the hell is an EPA officer doing heading up a program to keep kids safe in school zones. i suspect this is just another way the EPA invades our schools and subjects our kids to propagands.
EPA = environment protection @sshole
I pointed out something similar a few years ago here. I think the goal is to have enough laws on the books so that a person can be stopped at anytime and be found guilty of something. And after you have been convicted of a felony (like you say, the bar is dropping constantly) you will lose your 2nd Amendment rights. And that may be the ultimate goal -- disarmament by other means.
The next time this EPA nut attempts to pull a Texan over...he will likely meet some type of misfortune. EPA folks have no enforcement capability whatsoever. This is like someone from the Nuclear Regularitory Agency trying to arrest me...the power simply isn't there. Alot of these nuts got this way after 9-11, and they think they are like some kinda county marshall.
I agree with you. It does not sound like this guy routinely engages in making traffic stops. He saw someone doing something stupid and thought he could do something about it. What if the driver had ran over a child and it was discovered that he saw her speeding and did nothing about it? I'd cut the guy some slack, but ensure that this does not set a precedent for EPA agents and traffic law.
Too many of them do. Those are the ones who should be working doing something else. Not in a position of authority.
I hope this doofus is fired.
WTF?
EPA?
SUV?
What's the deal here? Does the environment allow special dispensation for storm troopers?
I heard a Texas judge state that: "Police are trained to judge speed." The defendant (not me) lost. (In that case, the defendant had been charged with speeding by a policeman who saw him from three blocks away, no radar.)
Of course, in NM, they all have radar: highway patrol, sheriff's department, city police, tribal police, BIA police, etc.
I understand that police officers probably become pretty proficient at judging speeds because of their on the job experience. But this guy was an EPA agent. His guess at her speed wouldn't have been any more accurate than mine.
BUMP!
"Yea, the kind that doesn't get a six year old run over. I do consider 5-10 blowing. The question is, why don't you?"
because he is a reasonable human being? 25 or 35 are both dead slow. Many school zones ARE 35 mph. 25 mph is overkill. At that speed cars could dodge babies, crawling, across the street.
"and did what many of us have done before, called the person on their blatant disregard for the law and everyone else. When she got uppity he then pulled her over. Good for him."
see post #109 If you do this sort of thing a lot, you shouldn't be surprised if your actions one day lead to tragedy.
"I defer to your traffic engineering know how."
good.. easiest argument I ever won;-)
Then drive off .... I'd do it ... interestingly enough I went to high school there.
I bet you win most of your arguments the same way.
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