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Posted on 05/21/2009 10:28:11 AM PDT by abb
Jason Talley and his two traveling companions had no plans of making a stop in Jones County when they were arrested by Jones County Sheriff deputies on May 14. Now Talley and his friends are going to make a planned trip to the area. This time, Talley and other crew members of motorhomediaries.com, are coming to the area to film a documentary. No date has been set for the week-long visit.
“We have been traveling now for six weeks,” Talley said in a phone interview. “We have 60 videos on YouTube that documents our experiences.
“It’s ironic to have these type of problems (like those encountered in Jones County) in our search for freedom in America,” added Talley. “We want to come back and talk to people who may have complaints with the police department and to do some charity work in the area.” Talley, Peter Eyre and Adam Mueller were arrested on I-59 while heading to Meridian for a breakfast meeting with Libertarian Party of Mississippi Chairman Danny Bedwell.
“I had been following their journey,” said Bedwell, who resides in Columbus. “They left Washington six weeks ago, went to Louisiana and stopped in New Orleans for the night. We made contact and they told me they were on their way to Nashville to pick up a friend who would travel with them.
“I asked them to meet me in Meridian because I wanted to make a donation to their cause,” continued Bedwell. “They never did show up.”
The three travel across the country in a recreational vehicle, making stops along the way to interview individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds who share their passion for liberty and justice in America. “I believe we were arrested in Jones County because we were filming what was happening to us,” said Talley. However, Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge said during the traffic stop, deputies gave the three “numerous opportunities to identify themselves but they refused.” According to Talley, who was awakened from his sleep by all of the commotion, Eyre, who was driving the vehicle, complied and provided the information requested by the officers.
“Pete showed his driver’s license and registration,” Talley said. “Adam didn’t have a chance to get any information because he was doing the filming and they arrested him.”
Talley admits to being defiant, mainly because he “was just a passenger.” He said when the deputy asked him to step from the vehicle, he didn’t have any information because he had been sleeping.
Talley also stated that officers stopped their vehicle because it had a “paper tag on it.” But when they checked everything out and found everything was legitimate, instead of letting them go on their way, they continued to press Talley for some type of identification. Once again he refused.
Then came an event Talley will never forget. “The officer placed a choke hold on me and I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “What you basically had was an out-of-control sheriff’s department.”
When all was said and done, Talley, 34, was arrested for disorderly conduct and disobeying a police officer, Eyre, 28, was arrested for possession of beer in a dry county and an unknown offense and Mueller, 26, was arrested for disorderly conduct and disobeying a police officer.
“They wanted to find some reason to justify their actions,” said Talley. “They had no grounds to arrest us.”
He added that a deputy found a sealed can of beer in the refrigerator of the vehicle as they did a search. They decided to charge Eyre for possession and Eyre doesn’t even drink, he said.
“I guess the message to anyone whose driving through Jones County is to stop and throw out all of the beer or liquor you may have in your vehicle, even if its unopened,” said Talley. “You’re driving through a dry county.”
Talley added the trio made bail from donations that were sent in from around the country. They were also able to get their vehicle out of pound. Unfortunately, however, he said that when they checked their video camera, that was left in the vehicle, the footage had been deleted. “We believe someone from the Sheriff’s Department is responsible,” he said. “That was a major injustice.” Hodge has said that he is “proud of our Deputies handling of this traffic stop. I have demonstrated my willingness to admit when we are wrong. However, in this case they handled themselves in a proper and professional manner.”
Talley said the trio is weighing its options. A number of lawyers have contacted them and he is not ruling out the possibility of a lawsuit. In the meantime, he hopes Jones County residents or others who may have complaints against the Jones County Sheriff’s Department will contact him. They can visit www.motorhomediaries.com and click on the e-mail link to contact the crew. “We would love to hear from people who have stories they want to share,” said Talley. “We know there are some good people in Jones County, but I’m afraid this story got out and showed the bad side.
“We also know that there may be others who have experiences similar to ours,” he added. “Things won’t change if people are afraid to take a stand against injustice.”
“you wanna smart ass up on a cop? Hope you like taking showers with big hairy men!”
As a practical matter, sure, better be safe than sorry. But is that the sort of country you want to live in, where people can be arrested not for breaking the law but for inconveniencing the guardians of the law?
“They’re not allowed to resort to physical force and/or arrest if you pose a threat or fail to comply with legitimate orders.”
That is, “They’re not allowed to resort to physical force and/or arrest UNLESS you pose a threat or fail to comply with legitimate orders.”
Your advice may be practical, but I don’t believe we should have to be practical when it comes to abuse of power. If anything, government officials should be treated worse than the average person.
http://books.google.com/books?id=DlURqtC7vPQC
The Free State of Jones: Mississippi’s Longest Civil War
By Victoria E. Bynum
Edition: illustrated
Published by UNC Press, 2003
ISBN 0807854670, 9780807854679
336 pages
Perhaps the use of the term moral high ground was a bit inaccurate, but to call a guy a dipshit for doing nothing illegal is just a bit, well, over the top, in my book. And given the personal anecdote, I’m thinking enraged would understand stupidity a bit better (drinking and racing not being exactly an intelligent act).
That being said, the time I got pulled over (burned out light over my license plate), at 1am on a saturday night, the cop clearly looking to bust me, I used the word ‘sir’ so many times, he actually asked that I stop using it. I told him the advice my father gave me was to never argue with a guy possessing a firearm, and to always be polite to the cops.
Good advice indeed.
I once had an off-duty deputy run me down and pull me over (he had red and blue lights behind the grille of his personal car... go figure) after I had made a perfectly legal pass on a two-lane highway. He reamed me out and talked about how horrifying car accidents can be, etc. etc.. I was baffled, since I didn't do anything illegal nor unsafe, as far as I could tell. I promised to be safe and he went on his way.
He had no reason to stop me, and I could have been beligerant, but I figured he may have just finished cleaning somebody's brains off from the center line during his shift and was a bit touchy.
I was stopped once by three county deputies (in Jackson Co., MS) with guns drawn. I nearly messed my pants! Seems someone with a similar car had robbed a bank. I’m sure the look of sheer terror and bewilderment on my face put the officers at ease. I showed my ID answered their questions and went on my way.
I grew up in Jones County and also attended school with Alex Hodge. If these three had simply answered the questions and complied with the officers demand for ID, more than likely nothing would have come of this. I-59 is a major drug smuggling route. There have been many significant busts there, as well as violent confrontations with drug runners. Having a ‘paper tag’ for 6 months is also illegal in MS. That in and of itself is reason for the cops to be suspicious.
Moral: Don’t mouth off to the cops for any reason. If you have nothing to hide, don’t be a smart ass. Cops today have a very dangerous job. Despite your ‘rights’ let them look around in the car and be done with it.
Since they were simply passing through, the beer possession would probably have garnered nothing more than a warning.
I'm afraid I'm not prepared to surrender my rights that easily. In my opinion, that's a large part of what the recent Tea Parties were about. Sheriff Hodge and Jones County is in for a very large and expensive lesson.
Why the hell is it the citizen's job to guage the mood of the LEO, and then walk on egg shells accordingly?
It is the job of the LEO to be consistantly professional EVERY time regardless of what just happened to him. If he can't control himself, he needs to find some janitorial work.
ping
Sounds like Jason and his traveling companions are living the good life, riding all over the country, talking to folks, taking pictures. I’d like that “job” anyday.
Where do I sign up?
Yeah, good luck with that.
Update here.
http://motorhomediaries.com/
Thank You Thursday: Special Jones County, Mississippi Edition
Sorry to disagree with most of the comments here but, if a cop asks you to do something, you do it, especially something as petty as providing identification. If you don't, then you're asking for trouble, and you'll get no sympathy from me. That doesn't mean I agree with what the cop did. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I don't however, think the order to provide ID was out of line.
HA!
As one who owns & drives a couple sports cars?
Been there - done that.
Not that I've been pinched, too wily.
But I do see the boyz "at work", up close and personal, all the time. Some of these boyz I've witnessed must develop severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by 40 years of age and wind up on the dole, themselves.
A vicious circle. :o)
Unfortunately this is what its all come down to.
Not only in MS but everywhere else and especially WI.
“Despite your ‘rights’
let them look around in the car
and be done with it.”
-
I can’t tell you how strongly I disagree with that statement.
Exercise your rights - or lose them.
I have heard that phrase all of my life.
LLS
Apparently, it was.
http://keglawyers.com/blog/?p=58
When a police officer makes a traffic stop, the driver of the car is seized within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. The question in this case is whether the same is true of a passenger. We hold that a passenger is seized as well and so may challenge the constitutionality of the stop. (Brendlin v. California (2007) 127 S.Ct. 2400, 2403.)
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