Posted on 06/26/2012 4:53:14 PM PDT by Orange1998
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8715510
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A woman tried to save drivers from getting ticketed by police and instead ended up in jail herself. Now she claims she was wrongfully arrested.
It all happened as officers were clocking speeders and pulling them over last week near downtown. Natalie Plummer now fears police retribution. She says she was just trying to get people to stop driving so fast, and that instead of being seen as helpful, she was arrested for it.
Plummer admits she probably will never hold up a similar sign again out near any road.
"I was completely abiding by the law," she said. "I was simply warning citizens of a situation ahead."
Last Thursday on West Dallas, Plummer was on her bike headed home from the grocery store when she saw Houston police pulling over alleged speeders. She took some video while riding by.
She said, "I felt like he was just pulling random cars over."
So Plummer went up the street a few blocks, made an impromptu sign on a grocery bag reading 'Speed Trap!' and stood, she says, on the sidewalk.
"I for sure did not step into the street," Plummer said. "(I stayed) on the sidewalk the entire time."
After a few minutes, Plummer claims one of the officers drove up, jumped from his car and started pulling at her backpack. She says he searched it without consent, and then arrested her.
"He was telling me he was taking me to jail for obstructing justice, that was an automatic three to five years," Plummer recalled.
(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...
Pauline Revere
This hasn’t stood a court challenge anyplace its been challenged. I can’t imagine it standing in Texas.
Note to youngsters, if you’re driving down the road and someone flashes their high beams at you and you can’t figure out why, you should probably make sure you are obeying the speed limit.
When you do something like this you need a second person filming and recording from a distance and transmitting to a secure, out of jurisdiction, location.
Cops say their presence on the roads is to deter speeding. What rot!
Fixed it.
Not in Amerika, you weren't, honey.
In my opinion her constitutional rights were violated by the arresting officer. A few years ago the Harris County Sheriff was sued for arresting two brothers for videoing the police. Harris County was sued and lost Millions in the case.
Two brothers who successfully sued Harris County and the Sheriff’s Office for false arrest are now suing the attorney who represented them in that case.
Erik and Sean Ibarra filed suit Wednesday in a Harris County court, accusing Lloyd E. Kelley of breach of contract. The brothers are disputing the amount of expenses Kelley incurred and that he wants them to pay.
“They feel like they are being victimized by their own lawyer trying to charge more,” attorney Randy Sorrels said today.
Kelley said that he had not been served with the lawsuit and knew about it only because Sorrels, the brothers’ new attorney had called him.
The brothers received a $1.7 million settlement earlier this year. Kelley asked the court for $2.2 million in legal fees, but was awarded $1.4 million.
If it were about ACTUALLY WANTING to slow down drivers, they'd OPENLY park in plain sight or drive along in traffic.
Instead, everything is done in hiding, in order to CATCH not deter.
Police bullying and abuse of power. They couldn’t arrest her for exercising her first amendment right, so they arrested her on trumped up charges. I’m disgusted by the posters who blame her for this incident. Is there any governmental entity that is not out of control and still worthy of respect?
Police bullying and abuse of power. They couldn’t arrest her for exercising her first amendment right, so they arrested her on trumped up charges. I’m disgusted by the posters who blame her for this incident. Is there any governmental entity that is not out of control and still worthy of respect?
She won’t need a defenswe fund. I’m sure some sharp lawyer has already contacted her about suing the city.
The court has already ruled in a simlar case and said it is free speech.
She was the lookout for the criminals, and that’s okay? Interesting.
Really? Threats and scaring people with three to five years for holding a sign? And cops wonder why they don't get the respect they think they deserve?
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