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 ...
“COLOSSAL!...SPECTACULAR!....ASTOUNDING!”
-Irretrivably Stupid magazine
As long as I’ve been here, and even before then, there have always been statists on here.
“I watched as the woman dashed into her house. The officer was then obligated to keep her from doing so.”
Maybe he woulld have been more understanding if she got on her knees and crawled in.
So you don’t like her lawn (yard), why don’t you go offer to help her.
Whose name is on the deed?
This is the only applicable code I found”
7-3-5. Landscaping.
At least seventy percent (70%) of the area,
excluding reasonable driveways, contained within a
required front or side yard adjacent to a street in any
residential zone shall be landscaped with lawn, shrubs,
trees or ornamental features. In commercial or other
zones, landscaping shall be required according to the
terms of the zoning ordinance of the City.
This is a code violation, not a full-scale riot.
Go wax your billy.
BARBARA STREISAND!!!!!! The cops put tickets on car windows all freakin' day without ascertaining that the person driving the car is in fact the car owner. They just leave it on the windshield with the cars license plate number. License plate number, house number, what's the difference???? The difference is she didn't "respect his authoritah" and decided to teach her a lesson.
My aunt adopted a severely handicapped little boy and kept him for many years until he succumbed to his condition; she first took him to her sister’s house for a visit when he was stiil about seven or so.
She introduced him to her brother-in-law as Kevin and informed Kevin that everybody called her BIL, “Uncle Lee.”
From that day forward, Kevin, my aunt and all who knew them would greet my uncle the same way Kevin did that first day: “Unga Lee, Unga Lee” and give him a big hug just as little Kevin did.
That’s a nice story. :)
Sorry, but it's attitudes like yours that allows stuff like this to happen. Even if they are both "wrong", the LEO's actions are much more problematic as he is the guy with the badge, handcuffs and gun.
Whether the woman here had an attitude is irrelevant to the situation as she can't arrest or handcuff the officer. The woman has no authority here, the LEO has all the authority here and he abused it. He arrested a woman merely because, in his opinion, she wasn't compliant enough. The fact that you don't seem to understand the difference here is disturbing.
You can say that about any group of people - democrats, unions, nazis, terrorist members, etc.
The fact of the matter is that the cops in this country are out of control. For some reason, cops have stopped looking at themselves as public servants and instead consider themselves government enforcers and stormtroopers.
You solution was excellent. Too bad it won't fly.
you said:
Its not cool to rough up old ladies regardless of the situation. However, its also not cool for old ladies to take advantage of their age and expect special treatment.
Special treatment, like not being forced to show your identity papers on your own property? Seems to me that an officious jerk was used to getting away with bullying the public, and found that the public draws the line when you bully little old ladies.
The plywood isn’t nearly as ugly as the slipcover on the chimney.
Yes. And looks as though it will happen in South Florida and then move north to where I live.
The Orem City Code states that violation of the ordinance is merely an administrative offense (not even a civil offense, not to mention *laugh* criminal offense), so why take her into custody? She was not legally obligated to continue to talk with the officer. Her turning away does not constitute anything, not even reasonable suspicion. I didn't realize that not watering one's lawn is a criminal offense resulting in jail time...
It is an administrative offense, penalty of citation and fine.
Yup, damn straight. Those Mormons are known for their jack booted police-state tactics.
You're right! He should have shot her right there just in case. Officer safety trumps everything!
Because they are plumbed to small pipes to wet the felt screens on each side, being covered would make good sense if the water was actually shut off.
Damned good advise IMO. Never open the door to a cop voluntarily. It is almost never to your benefit.
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