Posted on 08/01/2003 5:20:03 AM PDT by underdog
POLICE OUT OF CONTROL
The following atrocity took place in the small village of Baxter, approximately 8 miles south west of Barrie. If you or a family member has ever fired a rifle for target practice this could have been you or someone you know...
This is a short completely factual account of the events that took place as released by the victim's lawyer Mr. Ed Burlew LLB. READ IT CAREFULLY.
THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ME!!
Account as Released: On Tuesday May 27, 2003 the victim, 29 year old Jonathan Logan, who has never so much as had a speeding ticket, was lawfully hunting groundhogs on a farm field approximately 300 yards from Baxter Public School between the hours of 5:20 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. keeping in mind that students at the school had been released more then an hour and he had the permission of the land owner to be hunting within the confines of that property.
THE POLICE INVESTIGATED AND CONFIRMED THE FOLLOWING:
Jonathan Logan was indeed hunting ground hogs on a farmer's field approximately 300 yards from the school from 5:20 pm to 6:00 pm after school with permission of the farmer where the farmer had asked him to reduce the groundhog population. He was using a registered non-restricted rifle designed for varmint hunting. He was using the said rifle in a safe manner and Mr. Logan is a holder of a valid Ontario Hunting license.
Mr. Logan was not on school property at any time and did not point the rifle at the school, any person or farm animal at any time. The rifle was transported in a safe manner at all times. Mr. Logan stopped hunting when he noticed that children were back at the school playing soccer and it was dinnertime! The police met him at his home and arrested him for charges that were later determined by the police to be groundless and are not being pursued. Note that he met the police as he pulled into his driveway and was arrested as he exited the vehicle having not entered his home. His rifle was in his vehicle, cased and unloaded and being transported safely in his vehicle when he stopped to meet the police. While under arrest for non-existent offenses, thus making the arrest unlawful, he was placed on the ground, had a .223 caliber Ruger Mini 14 pointed at his head by a police officer and was hand-cuffed in a painful method.
Then he was stood up and taken to the trunk area of the police vehicle and strip searched in full public view. His pants were left dangling just above the knees for between 10 to 20 minutes as neighbors and traffic passed by. While under this unlawful arrest the police refused to let him or any other person into his home. The police insisted he sign consent to a search of his home without a warrant. This is significant because his 3-year-old child Joshua is a heart transplant recipient and was due for his hourly feeding and medication, which was kept in the house. The police would not let Mrs. Logan, Jonathan or Jonathan's father or any other person into the house to get the food or medication, without the police being given consent to search. The police had been shown the stomach tube for the 3-year-old Joshua's hourly feeding and were also told by Mrs. Logan and Jonathan Logan that all of the firearms in the home were safely stored. The police at that time had no reasonable or probable grounds to believe there was any illegal items in the home or that there was any evidence of an offence in the home. They know Jonathan Logan had broken no law. Jonathan had proof in his wallet that all his firearms were registered. Under the physical duress of having at least a dozen police officers armed with non-restricted, restricted and prohibited firearms and with many shotguns and rifles being pointed by police at all of the Logan's was coerced by the police into signing a consent to search which he was not allowed to read.
The police then entered the house. Mr. Logan firmly believes his rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to be free from unreasonable search and seizure was breached and that the alleged unsafe storage of one unloaded .22 rifle and .22 caliber ammunitions is based on the unlawful police actions. He was taken to the police station and released on a simple recognizance after 6 hours.
Some of the more disgusting and inhuman things that Jonathan was subjected to such as the internal search with rubber gloves and flashlight and the cruel treatment and lewd suggestions made to him when he pleaded with the officers to at least pull up his pants so he was no longer exposed to the members of the public and his young children, had not been included in the original press release but beg to be told. Was this the actions of caring police officers trained and sworn to protect our individual rights or a group of thugs out of control? Ask yourself, "What if it had been me or my Son or Daughter?"
Due to his son's illness and the time spent at hospital, Jonathan lost his job recently, now he must give police 24 hours notice before starting any new job. Oddly enough once notice is given the potential employers have been visited before he starts work and all perspective jobs fall through!!!
We are all sports men and women and Jonathan is one of our own and he needs our help, both financially and with moral support, to get him through this crisis in his families life. I would hope that the sporting community and all people who want justice served, will help in any way they can, no matter how little, we have strength in numbers. Jonathan is not a terrorist but only a young man involved in a legal activity that we all love. He did not deserve this treatment.
Please help Jonathan and his family find justice... Donations may be dropped of at the Wolf's Den Sporting Supplies Ltd. located at 7560 Con 8, RR #1, Utopia, Ontario L0M 1T0. Our phone number is (705) 424-4867. Receipts will be issued.
Please show your support and express your concerns for Jonathan and his family c/o Wolf's Den Sporting Supplies (at the above address).
Lets wake the sleeping GIANT. Let us show everyone how we feel and how we can stand together for one of our own. Let us show that we are law-abiding citizens of this country and will not allow anyone to treat us with anything but respect, no matter whom they are. Be sure that you send a message, write your local newspapers, radio stations, MP'S, MPP'S, telling them we will not stand for this. Don't wait for someone else to do it, stand up and be counted; let us all take a stand. We must correct this travesty of justice now or the next time it could be one of us.
Yours in Conservation and Justice,
Staff of Wolf's Den Sporting Supplies Ltd.,
Carl, Gary, Tammy and Lynn
They'd have to hire some new police officers.
The Norinco 7.62 steel cored rounds being sold at gun shows a few years ago are no respecters of Kevlar fabric.
A word to the wise on both sides.
Yea, if he has to give police 24 hours notice before starting a job, he must have been charged with something. But the article doesn't say.
It must have something to do with hunting and the school.
I can imagine someone getting questioned for carrying a scoped rifle 300yds from a school, even during hunting season in Texas.
I find the whole "strip search in the driveway" a little odd; what purpose does this serve? Or are we to believe this was department procedure?
And of course the heart patient infant stretches credibility as well.
No doubt, Canadian gun owners have problems. I'm surprised Canadians are even allowed to hunt with firearms, registered or not.
You are correct. Below is an article with more information. Someone reported a man in camo with a rifle near the soccer game. But this guy got hosed royally. Welcome to the People's Republic of Canada.
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