Posted on 07/07/2007 3:40:24 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
'He really abused me,' resident says after arrest by Orem police officer
OREM - Two days after Independence Day, 70-year-old Betty Perry experienced an ordeal she said shouldn't be happening in America.
The retired military and U.S. government employee answered the door at her home Friday morning to talk with a police officer about her bone-dry lawn and ended up getting arrested and suffering a bloody nose. "What have I done?" she asked. "I'm old now. I can't believe this."
The Orem police officer, as yet unnamed by city officials, cited Perry for violating a city ordinance with her "sadly neglected and dying landscape," which resembles dry hay.
When Perry refused to give her name and tried to walk inside to call her son, the officer tried to arrest her, police say. According to a police news release, while she was struggling, she tripped and fell on her doorstop, cutting open the bridge of her nose. But Perry maintains the officer split her nose when he hit her with the set of handcuffs he was trying to restrain her with.
"As far as I'm concerned, he really abused me - he brutally abused me," Perry said. "For what?" The officer called for backup, because he was driving a truck, and the now-handcuffed Perry was taken to a holding facility in Orem. She was not given water or allowed to wash her hands or call her son, she said.
"After being booked, supervisors became aware of the circumstances and immediately released the woman and returned her to her home on the basis that there were other options available to handle this situation besides making an arrest and holding the woman in jail," Orem police Lt. Doug Edwards wrote in the news release.
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
Sounds like a concrete solution to a vexing problem:)
Why does "water boarding" come to mind?
Two sides to every story.
Cut your grass.
Evidently some stupid law they cooked up.
Agreed. We have one of those in my neighborhood too.
Thanks for the latest (for me) news.
An unanswered question. Did the jurors conclude that the officer actually did not order the suspect to stand up?
Gees, cops on steroids? Heaven help us.
The cop needs a lesson in dealing with the elderly. They are often not as sharp mentally as they used to be. He needed to show some patience and communication skills. As an EMT, I can say I have never seen law enforcement treat the elderly like that.
Thanks for the FR link on the Webb/Carrion case.
And many are as sharp as a tack, but don't have much patience for stupidity, or those that abuse authority.
I agree. When they get confused they can get their maddest too huh? I just don’t want to paint him “bad” though without the whole story.
" The Orem police officer, as yet unnamed by city officials, cited Perry for violating a city ordinance with her "sadly neglected and dying landscape," which resembles dry hay. It was a city ordinance and his job is to give tickets for anyone breaking a city ordinance, like it or not. Take it to the city council, they make the ordinances.
When Perry refused to give her name and tried to walk inside to call her son, the officer tried to arrest her, police say. According to a police news release, while she was struggling, she tripped and fell on her doorstop, cutting open the bridge of her nose.
She refused to give he name and walked away. All she needed to do was take the ticket and go see the court clerk or the city judge,and tell her story.
It got out of hand I admit but you can't assume it was all the cops fault. I think they were both In the wrong.
Why doesn't her son come over once a week and take care of his mothers yard?
Believe me, not all little old ladies are sweet. I think maybe her attitude may have had a lot to do with this situation getting to the level it did.I don't like her playing the age card either. Poor Thaaang!
Unfortunately in small towns it is difficult to get decent people to get involved in law enforcement. In the small town in Idaho where I live, (pop. 3,000) we really get the loonies. Recently, a real doofus who was the overzealous animal control cop and town joke managed to graduate to the “real” police force and is now packing a gun and harassing the good folks in town. The guy physically is a slob and thinks he owns the place and has a license to be an idiot.
From what I have seen around here the only time someone comes by to enforce a city ordinance like lawn upkeep is when a neighbor calls in a complaint, then the city will send an officer out to check it out. We didn't see her yard, just a picture of her with a piece of plywood propped up against her house.
I don't think any of us know enough about the situation to be on either side, if we're picking sides. I think there is enough blame to go around..
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