# News & Current Events > Individual Rights Violations: Case Studies >  Cop almost killed me, so I flipped him off...

## tylerfk

So I just found this site the other day. This is my first post...

Let me start by saying, I supported Ron Paul all the way, donating money whenever I could.

Anyway here's the story.

I was driving down the interstate and this cop pulls out in front of me from the shoulder. I had to swerve into the left lane to avoid hitting him. 

So after I got back in front of him to make my exit, I flipped him off as I was exiting...

He then swerved across the cautioned portion of the exit to chase after me, and pulled me over...

Here is the audio recording from my cell phone... I added some images to make it interesting 

Video: YouTube - I Flipped Off a Cop...

ps: his lights weren't on...

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## brandon

Good job recording that.

I hope you plan on fighting this in court and using the recording as evidence.  You also might want to put the officers name and badge number in this thread or elsewhere on the internet, so when people google his name they will find this story of him being a douchebag.

Oh, and welcome to the forums!

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## Danke

I learned to never flip someone off a couple of years ago...could be a cop!  LOL

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## Andrew-Austin

If you would have pulled in front of him like that you would have gotten a steap ticket, but he has a magic badge so it's okay for him to "just make a mistake" and then harass you. Stupid thug.

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## dannno

Did he give you a ticket or anything?

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## Dieseler

Five stars.
Welcome aboard!
I'm glad you thought to record that as it went down.
I assume the nice police man was aware that you were recording it as well.
Prolly what saved you from some serious abuse there.

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## tylerfk

> Good job recording that.
> 
> I hope you plan on fighting this in court and using the recording as evidence. 
> 
> Oh, and welcome to the forums!


Thanks, and yea me and my lawyer are gonna be in court Friday morning to deal with this.

An Internal Affairs Investigation was doen, however they will not tell me the outcome "yet" only after the tickets are settled. Why? I have no clue??

I also found out, this same officer is charged in a federal civil rights suit for beating a 70 year old man...

http://dockets.justia.com/docket/348267

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## torchbearer

I don't do hand gestures. that's for pirates. ninja's hide their rage.

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## dannno

> I also found out, this same officer is charged in a federal civil rights suit for beating a 70 year old man...
> 
> http://dockets.justia.com/docket/348267


*Shocked*

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## tylerfk

> Did he give you a ticket or anything?


not one but THREE

Careless Operation

Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle 

Improper Lane Usage

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## dannno

> not one but THREE
> 
> Careless Operation
> 
> Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle 
> 
> Improper Lane Usage


That's bull$#@!.

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## tylerfk

> Five stars.
> Welcome aboard!
> I'm glad you thought to record that as it went down.
> I assume the nice police man was aware that you were recording it as well.
> Prolly what saved you from some serious abuse there.


He was unaware I was recording him, though he wanted to beat the hell out of me... He was turning red in the face... Roid Rage I think?

In Louisiana only one party needs to have knowledge of the recording...

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## dannno

One of my best friends in high school used to drive around in my car a lot and flip off cops every time  we drove by one.. I'd always kind of freak out, but the cops never saw him doing it.

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## tylerfk

> One of my best friends in high school used to drive around in my car a lot and flip off cops every time  we drove by one.. I'd always kind of freak out, but the cops never saw him doing it.


Oh, I made sure he saw me... Eye contact and everything

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## Bruno

Good job capturing the ass on audio.  Are you going to fight the charges in court?

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## tylerfk

> Good job capturing the ass on audio.  Are you going to fight the charges in court?


Oh yea, me and my lawyer are going to court in 2 days, Friday morning.

I don't think the cop will show up...

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## Dieseler

> He was unaware I was recording him, though he wanted to beat the hell out of me... He was turning red in the face... Roid Rage I think?
> 
> In Louisiana only one party needs to have knowledge of the recording...


Whoosh, you got lucky!
That's been one of my theories on a lot of these abuse cases for awhile. I suspect there's a lot of steroid abuse among cops and it's just a fact that they don't help ones demeanor at all during stressful sitiations.
Here's a call for Olympic style drug testing for cops!
Get them dangerous needle nuts off our roads.

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## tylerfk

> Whoosh, you got lucky!
> That's been one of my theories on a lot of these abuse cases for awhile. I suspect there's a lot of steroid abuse among cops and it's just a fact that they don't help ones demeanor at all during stressful sitiations.
> Here's a call for Olympic style drug testing for cops!
> Get them dangerous needle nuts off our roads.


I also found out this "cop" played College football in Texas. He was denied employment as a LEO their due to his "aggressive nature", so he came to Louisiana and got a job here... Go Figure

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## Chester Copperpot

welcome tyler... maybe we all need to call the officer and suggest he switch his coffee to decaf?

wouldnt that be funny

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## tylerfk

lol, maybe after I go to court...

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## Chester Copperpot

> lol, maybe after I go to court...


let us know how you make out.. this place can make sure this guy gets a thousand calls in a day about what a dick he is.

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## coyote_sprit

> let us know how you make out.. this place can make sure this guy gets a thousand calls in a day about what a dick he is.


I'm out of Skype minutes...

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## tylerfk

> let us know how you make out.. this place can make sure this guy gets a thousand calls in a day about what a dick he is.


Wow, I think I found a new home...

I was also featured on www.Policeabuse.com

Video Here

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## tylerfk

This happened the day before thanksgiving. (Wednesday)

That Sunday I posted my recording on a DSRL (a local motorcycle forum). To let my friends know what happened...

Word got out to the officer about the recording, and he turned himself in to Internal Affairs on Monday... lol

I called them to file a complaint on Tuesday, and they were already expecting my call...

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## raiha

Heloo Tylerfk.
You could ask your lawyer to mildly suggest the man attend an Anger Management course. His tone of voice was off the reichter scale. That is no way to be a public servant.

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## tylerfk

> Heloo Tylerfk.
> You could ask your lawyer to mildly suggest the man attend an Anger Management course. His tone of voice was off the reichter scale. That is no way to be a public servant.


I agree! If he gets that mad after getting the finger... Imagine If it was something more serious!!

Like I said, this is the same guy who put a 70 year old man in ICU

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## newbitech

imagine that going on at your front porch.. yeahhhh

nice work with the audio, saved your ass there.

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## squarepusher

haha nice recording

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## tylerfk

> haha nice recording


Thanks, I've recently started recording every traffic stop, and its proven to be a good idea...

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## sw3507

Great job tyler! More of us need to stand up to "public servants" like you did.Let them know, that we are the public and they are the servants! If that cop had any humility whatsoever,he would have pulled you over just to appologise, and assure you that his actions did not reflect the caracachter of his department, and his position as a "public servant". Saddly, his actions 'did' reflect not only the magority of his department, but that of all "public servants" across this once great republic! The "public" must assert they're rightfull place over the "servant" as you did, as a hedge against tyrany and a police state in our dwindeling nation..Bravo!

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## Baptist

> Thanks, I've recently started recording every traffic stop, and its proven to be a good idea...


You should try to get your local media to cover this story.

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## youngbuck

Typical cop, but if you knew your place you would have licked his boots.  

And don't EVER disrespect a man of the law again, you punk civilian.  I hope you've learned your lesson.

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## tylerfk

> You should try to get your local media to cover this story.


If after we go to court and the charges get dropped, you bet I will...

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## tylerfk

> Typical cop, but if you knew your place you would have licked his boots.  
> 
> And don't EVER disrespect a man of the law again, you punk civilian.  I hope you've learned your lesson.


lmfao!

My Favorite Part: "You gonna flip the PO-LEEC off" like that's wore than flipping someone else off...

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## jim70769

Good for you cuz.Maybe you can get the advocate to do a story or give a copy of the tape to wbrz or wafb

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## tylerfk

> Good for you cuz.Maybe you can get the advocate to do a story or give a copy of the tape to wbrz or wafb


Somebody put it on one of wbrz's talk show segments "Free Speech Friday" I didn't here it though, someone only told me about it...

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## tylerfk

I forgot to mention... 

After this cop gave me the ticket, and sent me on my way. I got back in my truck, and drove off with my finger in the air (to express my feelings about what just happened. I held up the bird for a good 2 minutes at a red light. The cop who just ticketed me was 2 cars behind me, and another cop was behind him.

When the light turned green, the second cop pulled me over... Here is that audio

Flipped off again.mp3

He was much more professional, yet entirely out of line! Needless to say, after detaining me for about 15 minutes, and talking to his captain, I was "let go" with no ticket...

He gave me his card instead...

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## MelissaWV

While I don't generally agree with finger-puppetry, the presence of mind to record oneself is a huge asset.  You came out on top overall.  I wanted to suggest that you look up some threads by Anti Federalist if you would like some additional reading on similar subjects.  He routinely posts police enounter issues, from the minor to the deadly.  I'm not sure what additional resources he may have on the subject in general.

Welcome to the forum

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## constituent

> I don't do hand gestures. that's for pirates. ninja's hide their rage.


ninjas?  rage?

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## constituent

> This happened the day before thanksgiving. (Wednesday)
> 
> That Sunday I posted my recording on a DSRL (a local motorcycle forum). To let my friends know what happened...
> 
> Word got out to the officer about the recording, and he turned himself in to Internal Affairs on Monday... lol
> 
> I called them to file a complaint on Tuesday, and they were already expecting my call...


i don't know how to feel about that...

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## angelatc

> I don't see why you need to be a douchebag...


He wasn't the douche bag.....

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## evilfunnystuff

good luck in court tomorrow

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## tylerfk

> good luck in court tomorrow


Thanks, I will post an update ASAP.

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## DapperDan

Oh man the bird is totally worthy of pulling you over 

Imagine if you really had the gall to have been like "Oh I'm sorry, maybe you didn't understand me clearly....F*#& you."   haha only in a dream....

Good luck to you sir.

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## squarepusher

> If after we go to court and the charges get dropped, you bet I will...


make sure to emphasize , while you may have hurt the cops feelings, *he almost killed you* by pulling out in front of you.

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## tylerfk

> make sure to emphasize , while you may have hurt the cops feelings, *he almost killed you* by pulling out in front of you.


Yea, my lawyer is pretty confident we wont even see a judge...

He told me the DA will most likely drop it before we even go in the court room...

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## Austrian Econ Disciple

Adam Mueller one of the Motorhome guys who lives up near me started this site:

http://copblock.tumblr.com/

We're working on trying to hold cops accountable and would like eventually to create a network of CopBlock activists. Imagine a PD getting 3,000 calls about one of their unruly and tyrannical officers with the audio and video proof.

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## Truth-Bringer

> Thanks, and yea me and my lawyer are gonna be in court Friday morning to deal with this.
> 
> An Internal Affairs Investigation was doen, however they will not tell me the outcome "yet" only after the tickets are settled. Why? I have no clue??
> 
> I also found out, this same officer is charged in a federal civil rights suit for beating a 70 year old man...
> 
> http://dockets.justia.com/docket/348267


Not surprising at all.  The guy sounded like he needed to enroll in anger management therapy immediately.  What a pathetic thug.

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## mrsat_98

Dude in Arizona got 50 grand for spending the night in jail over such. That was after he agreed to go home instead of jail after an  incident at a bar. Cop followed him home with his designated driver. Designated driver and drunk then left and went riding around and he flipped the cop off. You can have them by the gonads for this one.

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## Bergie Bergeron

Update?

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## Time for Change

> Imagine if you really had the gall to have been like "Oh I'm sorry, maybe you didn't understand me clearly....F*#& you."   haha only in a dream....


That can_ only_ be done if the stop is captured on video...
Why?

Because with a riotously funny stunt like that the cop's head would likely spin 360 and may just explode.

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## Truth-Bringer

A good video for everyone to be familiar with:

YouTube - BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters

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## akihabro

What an elitist.

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## tylerfk

Sorry I've been MIA

I went to court on Feb. 5th

Got kidnapped and booked in the parish jail for 42 days and just got out yesterday...

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## phill4paul

> Sorry I've been MIA
> 
> I went to court on Feb. 5th
> 
> Got kidnapped and booked in the parish jail for 42 days and just got out yesterday...


  Good lord man.  What'd ya do? Flip off the judge?

  Reminds me of my friend that got a speeding ticket and on exiting the court room began singing... 

  (To the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club Theme song)

  F-U-C...K-E-D, A-G-A-I-N..$#@!ed again, I'm $#@!ed again.

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## ghengis86

> Sorry I've been MIA
> 
> I went to court on Feb. 5th
> 
> Got kidnapped and booked in the parish jail for 42 days and just got out yesterday...


bump for story. in the meantime, let's all take a stab at what Tylet did to get thrown in the clink.  I'll go first.

Got into it with the Judge and to 'send a message' he held Tyler in contempt of court for 42 of the maximum 60 days possible.

Any other ides?

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## squarepusher

whaat???

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## DAFTEK

> Sorry I've been MIA
> 
> I went to court on Feb. 5th
> 
> Got kidnapped and booked in the parish jail for 42 days and just got out yesterday...

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## KCIndy

> bump for story. in the meantime, let's all take a stab at what Tylet did to get thrown in the clink.  I'll go first.
> 
> Got into it with the Judge and to 'send a message' he held Tyler in contempt of court for 42 of the maximum 60 days possible.
> 
> Any other ides?



Well, here's my guess:

(And Tyler, if you're reading this, I'm not knocking you - it sounds to me like you had a nasty run in with a cop who shouldn't have the badge.  This is just my guess as to what may have happened.)


Unfortunately for Tyler, Louisiana actually does have a law on the books mandating drivers move over at least one lane when passing a stationary emergency vehicle on the Interstate highway:

http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=88033

Anyone interested in whether this law applies in *your* state, check out this link:

http://www.atssa.com/galleries/defau...erLawChart.pdf

The vast majority of states now have this law.  Bottom line:  If in doubt, it's best to move over a lane.  (Frankly, it's best to move over a lane anyway.  I've seen cops hop out of their car _and walk into the traffic lane_ without ever looking behind them.  They're too hopped up on adrenaline and the possibility of getting a phone number of the hot blonde chick they just pulled over....)   


So unfortunately, on the "improper lane use" and "failure to yield" I'm afraid there's not a lot even a good lawyer could do.  

The "careless operation" charge is complete bull$#@!.  Here's the Louisiana statue for "careless operation":




> §58.  Careless operation
> 
> Any person operating a motor vehicle on the public roads of this state shall drive in a careful and prudent manner, so as not to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person.  Failure to drive in such a manner shall constitute careless operation.


The ONLY argument I could see for a "Careless Operation" charge would be to argue that if the driver (Tyler) was watching the cop ("making eye contact" as Tyler admitted here) and driving one handed for two minutes (using the other hand to flip the bird for two minutes, as Tyler admitted here) then it could be argued that the driver (A) was not watching the road, and (B) driving with one hand, and that would therefore constitute "Careless Driving."

Personally, it sounds like a BS charge tossed on by a PO'ed cop.  Typical of the breed, unfortunately.

All that being said, I still can't see how Tyler could have been locked up for over forty days on these charges.  Even if it was guilty on all  counts, it shouldn't have warranted more than a hefty fine and a temporary suspension of license... UNLESS, as ghengis86 said, perhaps there was an argument with the judge...  

Okay, Tyler.  What happened??

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## tylerfk

> Good lord man.  What'd ya do? Flip off the judge?
> 
>   Reminds me of my friend that got a speeding ticket and on exiting the court room began singing... 
> 
>   (To the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club Theme song)
> 
>   F-U-C...K-E-D, A-G-A-I-N..$#@!ed again, I'm $#@!ed again.



This was me the morning of court.




Notice the camera pen in my shirt pocket!

I went to the 10th floor of the court house(room 1024) just like everyone else who was scheduled for court that day. 

Room 1024 is not a courtroom, Their is no judge! It's only a room where everyone goes who has a ticket, most people do not want to contest their ticket they only want to ask for time to pay or see about going to driving school to keep the ticket off their record.

If you plan on contesting the ticket you tell the DA in room 1024 your gonna plea "not guilty", he will try to convince you to plead "guilty" either by intimidation or by persuasion. If he cant convince you to plead guilty to something(which was my case) you go to trial, on an entirely different floor of the court house.

My "recording pen" was turned on while I was on the 10th floor, talking with the DA.

When we could not come to an agreement the DA told me to go down to the 8th floor for trial.

At this point I turned off my cell phone, as stated outside the court room door.
I made sure my "camera pen" was OFF as well, just to be safe, but their were no signs anywhere in the court house that said "no recording devices allowed"

cell phones are allowed, and most phones have some type of recording capability, so i thought for sure it would be oh to bring in my pen as long as it was turned off while court was in session.

Shortly after going into the courtroom the judge walked in, court was now in session. My case was the only one. The DA went up and had a few words with her(the judge). 

I requested a continuance so I could have time to hire a lawyer, the DA objected, stating "the officers are here now, and we're ready for trial now."

The judge ruled in my favor, granting the continuance, saying "its only fair."

Then she asked me to step up to the mic and "make an appearance for the record" which is simply stating my full name, DOB, and address. After being "on the record" she stated to me" Mr. Kelley, you do know its illegal to record anything in a courtroom?" I answered "Yes ma'am" next she said "Well, I'm going to ask you one time, are you recording anything right now?" I answered truthfully saying "No ma'am"

That was the end of it she assigned me a new date to return, I signed my notice and started to walk out of the court room ,when suddenly the officer that I flipped off stood up and exclaimed "Your  honor, he is recording this! See that pen in his pocket?! It records audio and video! I've seen them before!"

At this point the judge was like, "oh, I thought you said you weren't recording anything!" I told her "I'm not. It's turned off."

She asked me to give the pen to the bailiff, and said "court is in recess, until we figure this out." Then she left the room.  A lot of commotion was going on, but the shorthand is. They plugged the pen into a computer right there in the court room, and found only the video from earlier on the 10th floor.

After about 20 minutes of being in handcuffs, and being searched.  The judge returned finding me to be in "contempt of court" for recording something while I was in Room 1024. She sentenced me to 3 months in jail. End of story.

My camera pen and my Iphone was confiscated as evidence...

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## squarepusher

sounds illegal, did you try to fight it?




> Sanctions for contempt may be criminal or civil. If a person is to be punished criminally, then the contempt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but once the charge is proven, then punishment (such as a fine or, in more serious cases, imprisonment) is imposed unconditionally. The civil sanction for contempt (which is typically incarceration in the custody of the sheriff or similar court officer) is limited in its imposition for so long as the disobedience to the court's order continues: once the party complies with the court's order, the sanction is lifted. The imposed party is said to "hold the keys" to his or her own cell, thus conventional due process is not required. The burden of proof for civil contempt, however, is a preponderance of the evidence, and punitive sanctions (punishment) can only be imposed after due process.

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## phill4paul

> This was me the morning of court.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Notice the camera pen in my shirt pocket!
> 
> I went to the 10th floor of the court house(room 1024) just like everyone else who was scheduled for court that day. 
> 
> ...


 I can only reply....

  Seems we all need something that records to an offsite secure location.

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## noxagol

http://www.bnd.com/2010/03/18/117924...t-trooper.html

This is my area. Didn't know the girls, but every time I hear about this event it makes me facepalm. 

State trooper kills 2 girls while driving because he was going over 100mph, while talking on his cell phone, while using his laptop, and yes, all at the same time. His defense? He didn't know this was wrong.

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## tylerfk

> I can only reply....
> 
>   Seems we all need something that records to an offsite secure location.


Already on my shopping list

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## squarepusher

> Already on my shopping list


interested to see what you find, sounds like something i would be interested too.l


SO, what did you do with your time in the slammer?

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## tylerfk

> interested to see what you find, sounds like something i would be interested too.l


I'll let you know what I come up with.




> SO, what did you do with your time in the slammer?


Played chess/cards, watched tv, and slept... I just looked at it like a vacation from society, It's very relaxing, and worry free once you get past the thought of not being able to leave. 

They pay all the bills, feed you, and do your laundry

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## squarepusher

> I'll let you know what I come up with.
> 
> 
> 
> Played chess/cards, watched tv, and slept... I just looked at it like a vacation from society, It's very relaxing, and worry free once you get past the thought of not being able to leave. 
> 
> They pay all the bills, feed you, and do your laundry


ya., right now the only down side for me is I wouldn't be able to work and make money.  Seems like it might be interesting =]

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## phill4paul

> I'll let you know what I come up with.
> 
> 
> 
> Played chess/cards, watched tv, and slept... I just looked at it like a vacation from society, It's very relaxing, and worry free once you get past the thought of not being able to leave. 
> 
> They pay all the bills, feed you, and do your laundry


  Good lord, they brainwashed you into becoming a liberal.

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## tylerfk

> Good lord, they brainwashed you into becoming a liberal.


lol, I had no choice!

I was just making the best of a bad situation.

I wouldn't go there voluntarily though.

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## phill4paul

> lol, I had no choice!
> 
> I was just making the best of a bad situation.
> 
> I wouldn't go there voluntarily though.


  See, tonights vote is forcing me to be a liberal too. I'll make the best of a bad situation and it's not voluntary and I have no choice. So what is the difference between a free American and a prisoner?

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## tylerfk

> So what is the difference between a free American and a prisoner?


you eat and sleep on a schedule.(which isnt a difference for most people) lights out at 10 Sun-Thurs and 1:30 am for Fri-Sat

Phone calls are $2.35 for a 15 minute call (I spent over $700)

You can only go outside for 1 hour a day. 

You can't pick your meals, unless you have enough money in your account to buy your own food. I spent over $500 on snack food

No computer access.

Oh, and you can't leave!

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## phill4paul

> you eat and sleep on a schedule.(which isnt a difference for most people) lights out at 10 Sun-Thurs and 1:30 am for Fri-Sat
> 
> Phone calls are $2.35 for a 15 minute call (I spent over $700)
> 
> You can only go outside for 1 hour a day. 
> 
> You can't pick your meals, unless you have enough money in your account to buy your own food. I spent over $500 on snack food
> 
> No computer access.
> ...


  So your saying their ain't no difference? Honestly, I know the difference I was just j/k.

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## Andrew-Austin

> This was me the morning of court.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Notice the camera pen in my shirt pocket!
> 
> I went to the 10th floor of the court house(room 1024) just like everyone else who was scheduled for court that day. 
> 
> ...


I don't know what it is with "public officials" being so scarred $#@!less of being recorded, its like sunshine to vampires. $#@!ing morons.

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## Paulitical Correctness

tyler,

have you contacted local media?

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## Jordan

http://www.aclu.org/

Call them.  8AM tomorrow.

You do have a case and the ALCU will help you.

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## tylerfk

> tyler,
> 
> have you contacted local media?


not yet, but I have talked to my senator. I'm going to meet with him this week, and see what he has to say about it.

He is also a lawyer and mentioned maybe wanting to represent me in a civil suit!

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## tylerfk

> http://www.aclu.org/
> 
> Call them.  8AM tomorrow.
> 
> You do have a case and the ALCU will help you.


Thats my next stop after the senator

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## Pauls' Revere

> So I just found this site the other day. This is my first post...
> 
> Let me start by saying, I supported Ron Paul all the way, donating money whenever I could.
> 
> Anyway here's the story.
> 
> I was driving down the interstate and this cop pulls out in front of me from the shoulder. I had to swerve into the left lane to avoid hitting him. 
> 
> So after I got back in front of him to make my exit, I flipped him off as I was exiting...
> ...


BRAVO ZULU !!

http://www.proaxis.com/~thiggins/tmh/bravozulu1.html

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## tylerfk

> BRAVO ZULU !!
> 
> http://www.proaxis.com/~thiggins/tmh/bravozulu1.html


Thanks! I try

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## moostraks

> Good lord, they brainwashed you into becoming a liberal.


rofl....

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## moostraks

> I don't know what it is with "public officials" being so scared $#@!less of being recorded, its like sunshine to vampires. $#@!ing morons.


Me thinks they doth protest too much. I find it reprehensible they have a right to order you to appear and then you enter a no mans land where you can't use any medium in which to prove their heinous behavior. I HATE court...

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## John E

Off topic but ... a few weeks ago, i was on the highway and a police car wanted to pull out into the right lane. I could have moved over to the middle lane and kept going but I slowed down and let him merge in (like I would for anyone else). He flicked his lights to thank me.  All in all, it turned out nice.

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## Paulitical Correctness

Also off topic...

I was driving the 70 mile stretch of highway back home for the weekend about a month ago and two state troopers closed in.

It was right at dusk, and I was in the left lane.  One got next to me - matching whatever speed I slowed to.  The other, within a foot from my rear bumper, had no headlights on.  He inched closer and closer while the other slowed and accelerated accordingly.  I can only assume they were trying to bait me into speeding or panicking...

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## tylerfk

oh that kind of crap happens all the time. you should have gotten their lp numbers and filed a complaint! It's a hassle, but its the only way they will ever change their behavior!

Or you could have just flipped them off

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## MelissaWV

> Also off topic...
> 
> I was driving the 70 mile stretch of highway back home for the weekend about a month ago and two state troopers closed in.
> 
> It was right at dusk, and I was in the left lane.  One got next to me - matching whatever speed I slowed to.  The other, within a foot from my rear bumper, had no headlights on.  He inched closer and closer while the other slowed and accelerated accordingly.  I can only assume they were trying to bait me into speeding or panicking...


Maintain a safe speed, make sure your seatbelt is buckled and any passengers are in a safe position, then...

...oh what's that on my windshield?  It would be unsafe to drive with that on there!  I should hit my wiper fluid/wipers.

It's the nicest way to get rid of tailgaters.  Bonus points if they're in a convertible

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## Paulitical Correctness

Haha. That's exactly what I wanted to do but I'm out of fluid.

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## KCIndy

> Also off topic...
> 
> I was driving the 70 mile stretch of highway back home for the weekend about a month ago and two state troopers closed in.
> 
> It was right at dusk, and I was in the left lane.  One got next to me - matching whatever speed I slowed to.  The other, within a foot from my rear bumper, had no headlights on.  He inched closer and closer while the other slowed and accelerated accordingly.  I can only assume they were trying to bait me into speeding or panicking...



What friggin' jerks!

This is the sort of stuff that makes it impossible for me to feel sorry for any law enforcement officer who whines and moans about how people don't respect them.

I'm not saying that every police officer engages in this sort of behavior, but I've seen stuff like it often enough that I firmly believe *most* of them do.

And the wonder why people get p*ssed off at the cops.

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## Old Ducker

> Maintain a safe speed, make sure your seatbelt is buckled and any passengers are in a safe position, then...
> 
> ...oh what's that on my windshield?  It would be unsafe to drive with that on there!  I should hit my wiper fluid/wipers.
> 
> It's the nicest way to get rid of tailgaters.  Bonus points if they're in a convertible


I once had an Audi 5000S Diesel.  It had a five speed manual transmission and that combined with mechanical fuel injection produced a nice feature for getting rid of tailgaters.  At any speed, if you put it in fifth gear and put your foot into it, it produced a large cloud of black smoke...

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## MelissaWV

> I once had an Audi 5000S Diesel.  It had a five speed manual transmission and that combined with mechanical fuel injection produced a nice feature for getting rid of tailgaters.  At any speed, if you put it in fifth gear and put your foot into it, it produced a large cloud of black smoke...



Yes, but if you do that to a cop, they'll pull you over for suspicious emissions or some other made-up nonsense.  My way just makes it seem like I was being safe   You're not going to ticket me for being safe, are you officer?

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## pcosmar

> You're not going to ticket me for being safe, are you officer?


I suspect you have an inherent advantage. 

I had a friend years ago. Female and genius smart, but she could turn on the dumb and ditsy, add a few tears and talk her way out of anything.

Nice trick, 
it don't work for me

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## MelissaWV

> I suspect you have an inherent advantage. 
> 
> I had a friend years ago. Female and genius smart, but she could turn on the dumb and ditsy, add a few tears and talk her way out of anything.
> 
> Nice trick, 
> it don't work for me


Nah, I don't play things that way.  I'm also, of course, not in bimbo-uniform on a regular basis, so it just wouldn't make sense.  I'm either dressed like I'm going to muck stalls, or I'm dressed for business, or I'm not driving   I've never been pulled over for doing the wiper thing, though it never fails to get someone off my tail.  I have been pulled over before, but that was when I fell for what was described earlier (officer behind, speeding up, tailgating, no lights... panic, speed, get pulled over) but the judge recognized the police officer who gave me the citation and dismissed it as "up to his old tricks again."

I wouldn't know how to act stupid.

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## Cinderella

Very clever!  welcome to the forums

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## osan

> Anyway here's the story....



First, flipping him off was not smart.  Believe it or not you could have gotten yourself shot/killed over it.  Cop would be wrong, but that would prove cold comfort to those you left behind.

Cops are a real  mixed bag.  Most are OK - some are pretty cool, and some are uber-$#@!s, and those are the ones you have to watch out for.

A friend of mine... let us call him Kevin... was rolling south on Rt. 9 in Freehold NJ (where we both lived at the time) and a Township cop sitting in the median pulled out right in front of a car in the left lane.  There was a three car pile up as a result.  The cop stopped and then took off like a bat out of hell.  A few weeks later there was a hearing at the courthouse and Kevin had been called in to give testimony.  After everyone testified, the judge was way pissed and he read the riot act to the dozen or so cops present in the room, none of whom would fess up or rat out the guilty party.  He told them straight up that when he found out who it was, he was going to put that officer in state prison for as long as the law would allow and that his career would come to a screeching end.

AFAIK, the culprit was never identified.  So much for the notion of cops being somehow superior to the rest of us.  To serve and protect... my ass.

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## Golding

I flip off cops all the time.  I just do it with subtlety.

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## DamianTV

Most cops are pure $#@!s for the sake of being $#@!s.

I once got TWO Fix-It Tickets in 10 minutes!

Long story short, the second cop came back with the ticket and I just gave him the first one, "no thanks, I already have one".  He still made me sign for the ticket.  I made him take the other ticket and look at the time it was issued.  Like 10 minutes earlier.  Then I asked him if he thought it was at least a little ridiculus.  He just told me that I needed to get that tail light fixed and walked off.

$#@!ing Prick!  Like getting back on the road and continuing to drive, even if it was to the auto parts store to get a replacement bulb, is NOT enough time to get it fixed.  So of course I got it fixed but there is absolutely no reason for this type of behavior!

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## Paulitical Correctness

> Most cops are pure $#@!s for the sake of being $#@!s.
> 
> I once got TWO Fix-It Tickets in 10 minutes!
> 
> Long story short, the second cop came back with the ticket and I just gave him the first one, "no thanks, I already have one".  He still made me sign for the ticket.  I made him take the other ticket and look at the time it was issued.  Like 10 minutes earlier.  Then I asked him if he thought it was at least a little ridiculus.  He just told me that I needed to get that tail light fixed and walked off.
> 
> $#@!ing Prick!  Like getting back on the road and continuing to drive, even if it was to the auto parts store to get a replacement bulb, is NOT enough time to get it fixed.  So of course I got it fixed but there is absolutely no reason for this type of behavior!


That'll lern ya.

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## TexanRudeBoy

> First, flipping him off was not smart.  Believe it or not you could have gotten yourself shot/killed over it.  Cop would be wrong, but that would prove cold comfort to those you left behind.
> 
> Cops are a real  mixed bag.  Most are OK - some are pretty cool, and some are uber-$#@!s, and those are the ones you have to watch out for.
> 
> A friend of mine... let us call him Kevin... was rolling south on Rt. 9 in Freehold NJ (where we both lived at the time) and a Township cop sitting in the median pulled out right in front of a car in the left lane.  There was a three car pile up as a result.  The cop stopped and then took off like a bat out of hell.  A few weeks later there was a hearing at the courthouse and Kevin had been called in to give testimony.  After everyone testified, the judge was way pissed and he read the riot act to the dozen or so cops present in the room, none of whom would fess up or rat out the guilty party.  He told them straight up that when he found out who it was, he was going to put that officer in state prison for as long as the law would allow and that his career would come to a screeching end.
> 
> AFAIK, the culprit was never identified.  So much for the notion of cops being somehow superior to the rest of us.  To serve and protect... my ass.


Unfortunately police forces have "ethics" codes like the mafia. "Ratting out" a fellow officer is just about the worst offense. When my father started his stint in internal affairs for the Houston PD he lost MANY "friends". The one's that remained were known to be good men though, and he was able to see clearly where the lines were drawn in the department from then on.

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## catdd

Cop flipped me off so I almost killed him.

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## AgentOrange

40 days for recording a talk with the DA? What an incredible waste of taxpayer money. And even more taxpayer money will go to defend the judge/DA/City when you sue. And taxpayer's (hopefully) will pay to reimburse you for your false imprisionment. I don't feel so bad about my tax money going to reimburse someone for a wrong, but I really resent having to pay tax money for the wrong. 

This is an example of how crazy this country is. First of all, why is it illegal to record your talk? What is the DA trying to hide? Open access should be the rule, not illegal. 2nd, ok this is illegal, shouldn't this just be a ticketable offense? Is 40 days in jail really a just punishment for the crime? Personally, I think jail time for non-violent offenses is always wrong for a myriad of reasons. How can your city justify locking you up when undoubtedly they were letting violent offenders go free for lack of jail space? If they really thought they needed to thrown their authority around, er punish you, wouldn't house arrest be more approriate (and cheaper!)?

Good luck to you with your lawsuit.

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## phill4paul

> He told them straight up *{with a sly wink}*  that when he found out who it was, he was going to put that officer in state prison for as long as the law would allow and that his career would come to a screeching end.


  Judge must have been up for re-election.

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## DamianTV

> 40 days for recording a talk with the DA? What an incredible waste of taxpayer money. And even more taxpayer money will go to defend the judge/DA/City when you sue. And taxpayer's (hopefully) will pay to reimburse you for your false imprisionment. I don't feel so bad about my tax money going to reimburse someone for a wrong, but I really resent having to pay tax money for the wrong. 
> 
> This is an example of how crazy this country is. First of all, why is it illegal to record your talk? What is the DA trying to hide? Open access should be the rule, not illegal. 2nd, ok this is illegal, shouldn't this just be a ticketable offense? Is 40 days in jail really a just punishment for the crime? Personally, I think jail time for non-violent offenses is always wrong for a myriad of reasons. How can your city justify locking you up when undoubtedly they were letting violent offenders go free for lack of jail space? If they really thought they needed to thrown their authority around, er punish you, wouldn't house arrest be more approriate (and cheaper!)?
> 
> Good luck to you with your lawsuit.


1st thing is to check what your state laws are on recording.  Some states it is unlawful for someone to record a conversation unless BOTH parties are aware that the conversation is being recorded.  In other states the law only requires ONE OF THE TWO people to be aware that the conversation is being recorded.

I hereby find the court in contempt of the law and sentence the court to the will of the people.

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## AgentOrange

> 1st thing is to check what your state laws are on recording. Some states it is unlawful for someone to record a conversation unless BOTH parties are aware that the conversation is being recorded. In other states the law only requires ONE OF THE TWO people to be aware that the conversation is being recorded.


According to the OP, only 1 person needs to be aware of the recording (hence his recording unawares of the 2 police officers.) However, there is apparently a law against recording in the court room, which he was aware of, he wasn't aware that the pre-trial discussion in a room outside of the courtoom was the same as being in the courtroom (that was the charge which got him 42 days in jail.)

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## tylerfk

> According to the OP, only 1 person needs to be aware of the recording (hence his recording unawares of the 2 police officers.) However, there is apparently a law against recording in the court room, which he was aware of, he wasn't aware that the pre-trial discussion in a room outside of the courtoom was the same as being in the courtroom (that was the charge which got him 42 days in jail.)


I still haven't seen a "law" that says, ita illegal to record something in a courthouse, or even a courtroom for that matter.

I have found these, and by my interpretation I haven't broken this rule.




> (e) A judge should prohibit broadcasting, televising, recording, or the taking of photographs in the courtroom and areas immediately adjacent thereto, at least during sessions of court or recesses between sessions. See Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 3A(9).






> Canon 3A(9) Except as herein provided a judge should prohibit broadcasting, televising, recording, or taking photographs in the courtroom and areas immediately adjacent thereto at least during sessions of court or recesses between sessions. 
> 
> http://www.lasc.org/rules/supreme/cjc.asp

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## angelatc

> I suspect you have an inherent advantage. 
> 
> I had a friend years ago. Female and genius smart, but she could turn on the dumb and ditsy, add a few tears and talk her way out of anything.
> 
> (


You'll have to take my word that this doesn't work for us when the cop is a female. They get pissy if you even try.

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## White Knight

I never can understand those who put themselves in positions they can't win. Like if it's 1923, and Al Capone and his boys make a sexual crude comment to your wife. You have to let it go because you can't win. Just like those fools who say they will fight anyone. There are times when you should just avoid fighting (like Mike Tyson, Shaq, or Chuck Liddell coming after you).

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## loveshiscountry

You can be charged with possession of a recording device?  I don't see how they knew he recorded things earlier.

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## KCIndy

> You can be charged with possession of a recording device?  I don't see how they knew he recorded things earlier.


From Tyler's earlier recounting of his ordeal:




> ....A lot of commotion was going on, but the shorthand is. They plugged the pen into a computer right there in the court room, and found only the video from earlier on the 10th floor.
> .



I'm still trying to figure out how even a* legitimate* "contempt of court" charge (which this clearly wasn't) would warrant such an extreme sentence.  Normally, contempt of court would just be a fine, or at worst, maybe a week in the slammer.

Tyler, if you're still reading this thread, do you by any chance live in a small town or rural area?  This sounds as if it's got "good old boy network" written all over it...

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## KCIndy

> I never can understand those who put themselves in positions they can't win. Like if it's 1923, and Al Capone and his boys make a sexual crude comment to your wife. You have to let it go because you can't win.


My purely *hypothetical* answer:

Because some people, when pushed too far by an unjust and corrupt system, prefer to fight rather than accept such abuse and dishonor.  Such people will fight against long odds even when they know the fight is to the death, and will do so just to prove the point that not everyone knuckles under to two-bit tyrants.

Hypothetically, of course.

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## loveshiscountry

> From Tyler's earlier recounting of his ordeal:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm still trying to figure out how even a* legitimate* "contempt of court" charge (which this clearly wasn't) would warrant such an extreme sentence.  Normally, contempt of court would just be a fine, or at worst, maybe a week in the slammer.
> 
> Tyler, if you're still reading this thread, do you by any chance live in a small town or rural area?  This sounds as if it's got "good old boy network" written all over it...


I was looking at it from a technicality point of view. As in "is it illegal to record" compared with "illegal to possess a recording device in court". Dunno if the courts make that distinction.

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## tylerfk

> Tyler, if you're still reading this thread, do you by any chance live in a small town or rural area?  This sounds as if it's got "good old boy network" written all over it...


I'm in Baton Rouge the second largest city, and the capital of Louisiana... 

I go to court again for the original ticket tomorrow (APR 1st), this time with no electronic devices and with a lawyer!

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## KCIndy

> I'm in Baton Rouge the second largest city, and the capital of Louisiana... 
> 
> I go to court again for the original ticket tomorrow (APR 1st), this time with no electronic devices and with a lawyer!



Best of luck to you!  Let us know what happens!

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## sratiug

> I'm in Baton Rouge the second largest city, and the capital of Louisiana... 
> 
> I go to court again for the original ticket tomorrow (APR 1st), this time with no electronic devices and with a lawyer!


Be sure to check if the court reporter has a recording device, since you know that is illegal.  I'd demand he get life in prison, and the judge too if she's in on the conspiracy.

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## tylerfk

> Best of luck to you!  Let us know what happens!


Thanks, and I will post an update as long as they don't throw me in jail again...

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## tylerfk

Sorry for the delay in updating... 

*All the charges were dropped!!*

My lawyer was able to talk with the DA and come to an agreement without going to trial...

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## KCIndy

> Sorry for the delay in updating... 
> 
> *All the charges were dropped!!*
> 
> My lawyer was able to talk with the DA and come to an agreement without going to trial...



Way Cool!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Are you going to be able to bring any sort of action against the court for your involuntary "vacation" at the county resort?  I still find it incomprehensible that you would be forced to spend that much time behind bars for Contempt...

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## Bruno

Congrats, tyler!

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## DamianTV

> Sorry for the delay in updating... 
> 
> *All the charges were dropped!!*
> 
> My lawyer was able to talk with the DA and come to an agreement without going to trial...


Are you "allowed" to discuss the details in public without fear of excommunication?  What was the agreement?  Drop the charges, or it will be just you, me, your balls, and this nine iron...  Something to that effect?

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## squarepusher

congrats meng

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## tylerfk

> Are you "allowed" to discuss the details in public without fear of excommunication?  What was the agreement?  Drop the charges, or it will be just you, me, your balls, and this nine iron...  Something to that effect?


I'm trying to sort things out... Take it one step at a time... 

All I can say now is, the traffic tickets were dismissed thanks to my Lawyer, Ben Gibson, and the DA Office.

----------


## Expatriate

Congratulations man! 

Now go after them for compensation, assuming you're telling us the whole story the judge can't just throw you in the clink for a month over a pen camera when you followed the rules to the best of your ability. At least, I don't think they can. The whole thing stinks.

Your time's got to be worth at least a couple hundred per hour, right?

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## Expatriate

Whoa, just reread the thread, THREE MONTHS for contempt? WTF?

That's about 1/300 of your life they robbed you of right there, assuming you live to the average age. You should take them for all you can get. Of course, it'll probably be the taxpayers who pay up in the end. 

I sure hope there's a way you can sue the individuals responsible personally. I don't really know how it works over there though, what with living in Canada and all.

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## ian_co

*$#@! DAH POHLEECE*

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## pahs1994

Wow what a story. Im glad you got off for the tickets. I hope you can get something for being locked up for that bs

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## loveshiscountry

> I'm trying to sort things out... Take it one step at a time... 
> 
> All I can say now is, the traffic tickets were dismissed thanks to my Lawyer, Ben Gibson, and the DA Office.


sweet, I hope you nail their balls to the wall.

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## DamianTV

Personally, I would press charges against the Officer in Civil Court.  Youre obviously not going to get anywhere in Criminal Court, and I would take his ass to court for his behavior.

----------


## KCIndy

> Whoa, just reread the thread, THREE MONTHS for contempt? WTF?
> 
> That's about 1/300 of your life they robbed you of right there, assuming you live to the average age. You should take them for all you can get. Of course, it'll probably be the taxpayers who pay up in the end. 
> 
> I sure hope there's a way you can sue the individuals responsible personally. I don't really know how it works over there though, what with living in Canada and all.



Expat, I'm not sure exactly what recourse he has, but if nothing else I think the actions of the judge in this case should be reviewed by the authorities.  I've never heard of a three month sentence for contempt.  Even journalists who refuse to name their sources don't usually spend that long in stir.  

And in a case like this, three months is incredibly excessive.  My understanding is that in most instances of contempt of court the penalty is simply a fine.  At worst, this case shouldn't have cost the poor guy more than an overnight in jail.

I believe every state has a judicial review board, which may be a good place to begin.

----------

