Woman's speed trap warning lands her in jail (video at link)

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8715510 ^

[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.

[roadcat]

Also, a person can be arrested for dropping coins in expiring parking meters.

Cops have gotten out of control lately. When I was a teen (over 45 years ago), me and some friends would run ahead of a cop checking for expired parking meters, and we'd put a coin in each expired meter. Cop pulls up to a bar near us, goes in the bar, comes out and leaves while grinning at us. All these guys come pouring out of the bar and start giving us tips for having saved them from a ticket. In the old days, cops had a sense of humor.

[steve86]

Lawyers got to eat, too.

Some eat better than others!

Speaking of that, my wife's daughter found a very affordable family law counsel who has an excellent reputation and is very thorough in his work. He even checks in with her on everyday concerns to make sure she and the kids are doing OK. This guy may eat at Red Lobster on occasion but no better. So there are a few who deserve not to be killed on the first pass of "kill all the lawyers" but I don't know how many.

[Terry Mross]

I assume standing in my front yard and yelling at speeders telling them to slow down is legal. But only if a cop isn’t sitting down the road looking for some revenue.

I had a cop order me to pull over for a funeral procession. He was driving in the middle of the road ahead of the hearse. I was meeting it. There is no law that you have to pull over for a funeral. This fat asshole yelled at me to pull to the side and said if I moved he’d arrest me. I found out the funeral was for a cop who had been killed in a one car accident. (He was speeding and lost control....wasn’t in the line of duty.) I guess this fat cop thought he would force me to respect his brother in blue. I’ve had less respect for cops ever since. And I used to be one.

[ziravan]

City Atty postponed the trial, and never represented. The statute of limitations expired.

[ziravan]

I haven’t been stopped in Hearne, but I drive through there weekly. I know when to slow down, and do it by habit...

[IYellAtMyTV]

"She was the lookout for the criminals, and that’s okay? Interesting."

Well, at least you are aware of your problem (judging by your screen name).

[xrmusn]

Ialways flash my lights at oncoming drivers to warn them

---

I more than likely won’t flash my lights for a speed trap - (but the idea is good as they won’t be as apt to slam on their brakes when they finally see it) but I, on a two lane,will flash lights when a trash truck, mail vehicle, broken down car, accident or any other potential danger looming ahead. Even if there are cyclists on the road. That was the way I was taught, that flashing lights was to alert oncoming traffice of an emergency or dangerous situation, but it is now just considered radar ahead (for most part) but if they slow down, chances are they won’t slam into the action ahead...

[HereInTheHeartland]

Tax collectors don't like to be interrupted

[Orange1998]

So you know that big curve in the city limits that happens to be 2 miles out of town in the woods. They like to sit right under the speed limit sign with no time to read the sign in the pitch dark.

[Orange1998]

A good lawyer will find this in the Texas Code.

38.05 (b) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(3) that the warning was given in connection with an effort to bring another into compliance with the law.

38.15 (c) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(1) that the conduct engaged in by the defendant was intended to warn a person operating a motor vehicle of the presence of a peace officer who was enforcing Subtitle C, Title 7, Transportation Code

[calex59]

Incidents like these, and this isn't the first time the cops have tried to arrest a person warning of speed traps, prove the theory that speed laws are not for safety but for revenue gathering.

Why should cops be pissed because someone slowed people down? No reason except they wanted to ticket those people for speeding and collect the fees.

[Orange1998]

Not only writing a invalid ticket they threw her in jail for 12 hours. All in the name of revenue.

[Oatka]

She was the lookout for the criminals, and that’s okay?
What criminals?

The ones who arrested her.

[NCLaw441]

You posted, in part: If it were about ACTUALLY WANTING to slow down drivers, they’d OPENLY park in plain sight or drive along in traffic.
***

You may be right, but I don’t think there are enough police to be a presence in enough locations. Certainly more of that could be done, though. The idea of catching speeders, I think, is to let all drivers know that they MIGHT be caught, and therefore should maintain the speed limit, even they can’t see any police around.

Why is everyone speeding anyway? And why the radar detectors. I generally drive around 5 mph over the limit and haven’t had a ticket in 35 years (when I was going WAY over the limit).

[mountn man]

You may be right, but I don’t think there are enough police to be a presence in enough locations.Does parking and waiting have any more presence than a rolling squad? I'd contend that a squad moving AT the speed limit would detain cars from speeding, they would in essence create a wall, a sort of log jam, preventing the cars behind them from passing them and thus preventing them from speeding and this would continue farther and farther back.

Meanwhile, when people come upon a scanning radar squad or a pulled over car, they slow down BRIEFLY, until about a quarter to half mile past and then resume their previous speed. Thus the cop really hasn't accomplished anything, accept TEMPORARILY slow down traffic AND to write a ticket.

I can remember one time I was stuck in traffic on an expressway. Slow drivers in every lane. When a lane finally opened up, I swung out and passed.
What I hadn't noticed while traffic was backing up, was a State Trooper slowly moving up in the traffic. As I accelerated up to about 70 mph, he quickly came up behind me and then along side me, and motioned with his hand to slow down. No need to write a ticket. He accomplished his goal.

The idea of catching speeders, I think, is to let all drivers know that they MIGHT be caught, and therefore should maintain the speed limit, even they can’t see any police around.

Why is everyone speeding anyway? And why the radar detectors.

I think for most people on this thread its not about speeding or trying to get away with something.

I think most of the people on this forum see an us vs them mentality amongst cops. People no longer view cops as "serving and protecting". Whether people are speeding OR not, they still see cops hiding TRYING to "catch" people. Oh, the cops will try to excuse their behavior as "trying" to slow people down. REALITY is something else. First off, WHY are some of these cars UNMARKED?

Next, mars lights. Mars lights function in a traffic stop is for intimidation and embarassment. Cops, from their first interaction with people, are designed to put cops in control of the situation. Which is obviously important. BUT the cops have chosen a direction of interacting with the general population, BY FIRST using intimidation to set the tone of interaction, to set "authority".

What cops are doing when they pull someone over are using basic phsyops, in setting and controlling the situation. Which I'm not arguing completely against. What I am against is their way of CHOOSING to confront a situation. In phsyops, there are 2 ways of confronting a situation, in order to reach an outcome. Hard and soft. Hard is direct force on force or one on one confrontation. Soft is gentle or misdirecting force, to move one towards the desired direction. With soft, often times the object doesn't even realize its being moved or persuaded.

Cops have CHOSEN to confront people, to create the US vs THEM mentality.

Time and time and time again, people post threads on FR, describing cops choosing to confront and create this mentality. The cops have chosen this direction, and now they're angry that the general population is rebelling against them.

Humor is often taking everyday things and pointing out things about them, or mocking them.

That is why this is seen as funny by many. There is an element of truth to it.

[PapaBear3625]

This hasn’t stood a court challenge anyplace its been challenged. I can’t imagine it standing in Texas.

Doesn't matter. It will have cost her time, money for lawyer fees, and stress, which is their objective.

Old saying: "You might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride!"

[OneWingedShark]

She was the lookout for the criminals, and that’s okay? Interesting.

No, you see if what she did was illegal (Obstruction of Justice): saying there's some legal consequence for doing something, then that means all legal education is Obstruction of Justice.

It means busting your little brother and smacking some sense into him when he starts playing with marijuana is Obstruction of Justice.

In short, everyone who says that there could be [legal] consequences becomes, under such a policy, an obstructor of justice. But hey, this is great because Ignorance of The Law Is No Excuse.

So you're a criminal if you were told the law, and not being told the law is itself not a mitigating factor.

[OneWingedShark]

Battery and kidnapping.
The case law is clear and recent.
She owns them.

Do you have references for that? I'd love to get copies.

[Balding_Eagle]

I wonder if anyone reads the Constitution anymore.

If the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court doesn't have to.....................

[Orange1998]

They did not want to read it since they are exempt from the law with the best coverage available. Passed a law for the little people to follow.