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Cops Assault Disabled Veteran, Tase His Dog—a Federal Judge Just Gave Him a Chance to Fight Back
townhall ^ | 8/1/2025 | Jeff Charles

Posted on 08/01/2025 8:21:51 PM PDT by from occupied ga

A veteran has scored a major legal victory after he was assaulted and falsely arrested by police officers in Gastonia, North Carolina.

Joshua Rohrer, a disabled military veteran, was homeless and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when he was accosted by multiple police officers who accused him of panhandling.

On the day of the confrontation, he was standing near a shopping center with Sunshine, his emotional support dog. He had become known in the community for being a friendly face. “We would walk around and smile and wave at people,” he said in a story I covered at RedState. “I was making friends and things like that. It just became my routine, something to get me through the day.”

He did not ask passersby for money. However, many who came to know him would give him food and cash voluntarily. However, he soon became a target for two Gastonia Police Department officers who told him to leave the area even though he had not committed a crime.

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government
KEYWORDS: policebrutality; policemisconduct

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I see that these two cops are part of the small 90% that gives the other 10% a bad name. They ought to get some serious jail time. If that happened maybe that would deter other cops.

Read the rest at town hall some of the comments there sum up the way people are starting to feel about law enforcement. let the thugs go free and do a beat down on a bum.

1 posted on 08/01/2025 8:21:51 PM PDT by from occupied ga
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To: from occupied ga

Back to the top.


2 posted on 08/01/2025 8:34:22 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: from occupied ga

They tased and traumatized the dog who ran away and was later hit by a car and killed. I know we need law enforcement and usually support cops, but it’s incidents like this that sometimes make me hate them.


3 posted on 08/01/2025 8:36:29 PM PDT by Avalon Memories (Obama & Biden Inc. really did provide opportunities for Trump to be murdered.)
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To: Avalon Memories

Whether it’s municipal, county, state or federal, they’re still government.


4 posted on 08/01/2025 8:44:16 PM PDT by Antihero101607
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To: Avalon Memories

There’s good and bad in every profession. In this case, the cops were assholes.


5 posted on 08/01/2025 8:45:42 PM PDT by doc maverick
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To: from occupied ga
God will judge us on how we treat the least of his creation.

Jack booted thugs.

6 posted on 08/01/2025 8:50:03 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
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To: from occupied ga

There are stories of cops buying boots and other items out of their own pockets to help such veterans. They rarely make the news but once in awhile I see them.


7 posted on 08/01/2025 9:10:15 PM PDT by Cold Heart (BP S GW)
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To: from occupied ga

North Carolina code, sec 5

Beg, solicit or panhandle: use of the spoken, written, or printed word, or other acts as are conducted in the furtherance of the purpose of collecting contributions of any type for the person or group making the communication or for others. I would think standing in the middle of a four lane road on a median strip for the purpose of receiving money qualifies. He has no other reason to be out there and given money from a car was witnessed.

Sec. 11-14. Solicitation from streets and median strips.

(a) No person shall stand, sit or loiter in or on any street, highway, roadway or median strip to solicit the occupant of any vehicle; to distribute merchandise to the occupant of any vehicle; or to stop or attempt to stop any vehicle for these purposes, except as outlined below.
(b) A person may stand, sit, or loiter in or on any street or highway, including the shoulders or median strip, to solicit or accept contributions of any type from the occupants of a stopped vehicle or distribute merchandise to the occupants of any stopped vehicle if the person has a permit issued pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-175(e), and if the person is not otherwise violating the law. The issuance of such permits is hereby authorized pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-175(e).
(c) A person may also stand, sit, or loiter on sidewalks to solicit contributions or accept contributions of any type from the occupants of a stopped vehicle or distribute merchandise to the occupants of any stopped vehicle if the person is not otherwise violating the law, including City Code section 11-5.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit engaging in the distribution of newspapers on the non-traveled portion of any street or highway except when those distribution activities impede the normal movement of traffic on the street or highway.
(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit additional restrictions or prohibitions on the activities of licensees, employees, or contractors of the Department of Transportation or of any municipality engaged in construction or maintenance or in making traffic or engineering surveys except as provided in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-175(e).
(f) If any person is found to have violated any provision of this ordinance, such person or persons shall be guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than $500.00. Each violation shall constitute a separate offense.

The cop gave him a break asking him to move on after he previously did the same thing. § 20-174.1 - Standing, sitting or lying upon highways or streets prohibited
No person shall willfully stand, sit, or lie upon the highway or street in such a manner as to impede the regular flow of traffic.

If I see a person with an uncollared dog in the middle of the street on the median, I am going to take action to make sure I do not hit him even though he is the reason for the avoidance. It will force me to decrease my speed, stop and make sure he is aware of my presence, or change lanes to be safe. Any of those is changing the traffic flow and effects me and all around me.

It is unfortunate this had to happen but it is a violation of a few laws and they were put in the for public safety. And when he started the word playing game with the cops who had previously asked to not do this before, he was creating the acceleration of the incident. If he had gone by the law and kept his mouth shut, none of this would have happened.

Wy69


8 posted on 08/01/2025 9:32:36 PM PDT by whitney69
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To: Avalon Memories

I am right there with you.


9 posted on 08/01/2025 9:55:28 PM PDT by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
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To: Cold Heart

The problem is that bad cops almost NEVER have any consequences for their actions. Example: Some years ago a police academy instructor in GA was giving a classroom instruction on firearms and A. had a loaded weapon and B. Pointed it at a recruit (white female) fired it and killed her. What was the consequence? He quit his job at the police academy and moved on to a police department in south Ga. Through massive negligence he killed someone. This fits the classic definition of manslaughter. He was never even charged. I suspect that if the dead woman were black it might have had a different outcome.


10 posted on 08/01/2025 10:01:56 PM PDT by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy - EVs a solution for which there is no problem)
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To: from occupied ga

Sick, sick useless bastards. Rot in hell.

Don’t get in a jam needing help from me. It will not happen.


11 posted on 08/01/2025 10:13:45 PM PDT by Sequoyah101
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To: from occupied ga

I hope Mr. Roher gets filthy stinking rich!!! And the two cops die destitute and homeless.


12 posted on 08/01/2025 10:19:59 PM PDT by Sequoyah101
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To: Sequoyah101

Agreed! I hope this guy ends up owning the damn town.


13 posted on 08/01/2025 10:25:16 PM PDT by Segovia (https://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2025/07/06/fossil-fooled-lives-vs-lies-n2659950)
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To: doc maverick

I deeply regret clicking this thread

Poor man.
Poor dog.

It will not bring his best friend back to him but I hope he sues them blind


14 posted on 08/01/2025 11:15:29 PM PDT by Salamander (Please visit my profile page to help me go home again. https://www.givesendgo.com/GCRRD)
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To: whitney69
It is unfortunate this had to happen but it is a violation of a few laws and they were put in the for public safety.

Concur; need to help the homeless and having them living on the streets is not working out for communities because of the social ills that follow.
15 posted on 08/01/2025 11:22:00 PM PDT by af_vet_1981 ( The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began.=)
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To: Avalon Memories
They tased and traumatized the dog who ran away and was later hit by a car and killed. I know we need law enforcement and usually support cops, but it’s incidents like this that sometimes make me hate them.

But broad brushing a whole group of people based in the actions of a few is wrong.

Be angry at the people involved or the perps. But don't project it onto all the good and decent ones. That's unjust.

16 posted on 08/02/2025 12:16:35 AM PDT by metmom (He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus….)
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To: from occupied ga

The cops names need to plastered all over social media, and then they need to convicted and thrown and prison.


17 posted on 08/02/2025 12:23:25 AM PDT by Revel
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To: from occupied ga

They killed that dog as sure as if they put a bullet in her. What a terrible thing to happen to my veteran brother! God bless you sir.


18 posted on 08/02/2025 12:36:54 AM PDT by Midwesterner53
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To: whitney69

.You must be a very cold person.


19 posted on 08/02/2025 12:39:21 AM PDT by Midwesterner53
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To: Cold Heart

That must be the 10 percent of the good cops. Most are bad.


20 posted on 08/02/2025 12:39:53 AM PDT by roving
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