Tag Archives: constitutional law

I Help YouTuber(s) Arrested Over Lego Videos (Part 2)

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Since I talked with Reckless Ben about the stolen Lego situation and the ensuing harassment and retaliation he received from the American Fork Police Department in Utah, a lot has happened. I got the chance to talk to the other guy with Ben in the videos, Tyler Shaw, who was the one driving the car – the same guy the cops falsely accused of being on drugs. And most importantly, I now have access to the full set of unredacted bodycam videos, that believe it or not, make the American Fork Police Department look even worse than before. Whatever the truth is about the underlying dispute about the Legos, one thing is for sure. This police department chose to take sides in that dispute, and abuse their authority and trample constitutional rights in the process.

37 Days in Jail For Posting a Meme | County Pays $835,000 | Sheriff Gaslights Public

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A couple of months ago I told you the story of Larry Bushart, who spent 37 days behind bars simply for posting a meme in a Facebook group. That video was a collaboration with FIRE, a national nonprofit First Amendment advocacy organization, who had just filed the civil rights lawsuit against Perry County, Tennessee, Sheriff Nick Weems and Investigator Jason Morrow, for multiple constitutional violations. That case just settled. Despite costing taxpayers in his county almost a million dollars due to his total disregard of Larry’s constitutional rights, Sheriff Nick Weems remains defiant, blaming everyone but himself.

Sheriff Claims Viral Cop Video Is ‘Misleading’ — So I Found the Missing Footage

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Chris Nixon posted bodycam video to Facebook showing him getting attacked by deputies with the Lyon County (Nevada) Sheriff’s Office. It showed a brutal attack by a heavily-tattooed and aggressive deputy, against a suspect who was at worst, failing to follow orders during a minor traffic investigation. The unedited bodycam footage just looked really bad to the public, and it started to go viral. So then, it makes its way to the local TV news stations. At that point the sheriff steps in and makes a public statement about the incident. The Sheriff tells the local TV news that he fully supports the actions of the deputies, claiming that Chris had misled the public by leaving out the first 5 minutes of the bodycam footage. And so the sheriff provided that missing 5 minutes of footage to the TV news. So the TV news showed some of this missing 5 minutes, but not all of it. So I ended up finding it myself, and I’ll show it to you. Does it change anything? I also tracked down Chris himself to hear his side of the story.

‘Welfare Check’ on Couple Sleeping in Car Ends in Arrest

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Cops get a call: two people are sleeping in a parked car in Lakeland, Florida. The caller requests a welfare check. No crime was even suspected. Cops arrive and confirm, yep, just a young couple and their cat, sleeping in their car. But instead of letting them go back to sleep, or even asking them to leave, the cops start barking commands at them, demanding ID. Knowing that they had done nothing wrong, the couple does not want to be detained and interrogated by these officers. So they assert their constitutional rights and they ask questions. But the officers mock them and curse at them, and they detain them anyways, and even arrest the husband, just because they got a call  – even though that call didn’t allege any criminal suspicion. Who was right here? Did they have to ID? Or should they have been left alone, or allowed to leave?

Cops Use Drug Test Kit on Innocent Man’s Prescription Pills

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Bryan Getchius is on a road trip, headed back to Florida, where he works. He gets pulled over by the Greenwood County (South Carolina) Sheriff’s Office. It begins as a routine traffic stop. They ask him if he has anything illegal in his car. He knew he had nothing illegal, so he consented to the search. They search his vehicle and they find his perfectly legal IBS medication that is prescribed to him. Despite having all legitimate markings, the officers claimed it was fentanyl – or maybe cocaine (they didn’t know), but they really wanted to arrest and charge him anyway. It would take Brian 1 year, 4 months and 28 days from the date of his arrest, to clear his name. And at no point during that period of time was Brian ever in possession of any illegal controlled substances.

The lawsuit:

ComplaintDownload

Man Driving His 3 Year Old Daughter Ends Up on Pavement With State Trooper – TRIAL RESULTS

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7 months ago I showed you the video of Kentucky State Trooper Seth Owens arresting Devin Langsdorf during a traffic stop, as Devin’s 3 year old daughter was in the backseat. After beating him, Trooper Owens charged Devin with speeding, reckless driving, failure to produce insurance, failure to maintain insurance, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, no registration receipt, and endangering the welfare of a minor. Trooper Owens really threw the book at Devin. At the time I covered the incident 7 months ago, the charges were still pending. But now, just a few days ago, these criminal charges went to a jury trial. And rather than hear it from me, I want you to hear from the actual lawyer who tried that case – and he’s a good one.

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SWAT Raids Wrong Home Looking For Guy They Already Arrested (3 Months Earlier)

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On June 14, 2023, the United States Marshals Service listed Joshua Smiley on the “15 Most Wanted” list. He was the 26 year-old male suspect in an August 2021 shooting death of a man in Mobile, Alabama. On June 20, 2023, about a week after Joshua Smiley was put on the most wanted list, he was peacefully apprehended in Avon, Indiana – a suburb of Indianapolis. It was no big deal. They found him in just a couple of days, called him out, he came out and was arrested with no issues. It was a success. So why did the US Marshals raid Cathy George’s home in Sandy Springs, Georgia three months later?

GA-Botched-Raid-Amended-ComplaintDownload

37 Days in Jail For Posting a Meme on Facebook

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In America, we don’t jail people for political speech. Yet Larry Bushart spent 37 days behind bars simply for posting a meme in a Facebook group. Perry County, Tennessee Sheriff Nick Weems sent cops to Larry’s home to intimidate him over a Facebook meme he posted. But he wasn’t intimidated. He knew his rights and didn’t back down. So then the sheriff obtained an arrest warrant that he knew was false and had Larry arrested and then put in jail for over a month. Only after national public outrage did county officials drop the charges and set Larry free. But now Larry’s out for justice and he’s being helped by FIRE, a national nonprofit First Amendment advocacy organization, who has now filed a civil rights lawsuit on his behalf. I got a chance to talk with Larry’s lawyer about the case – what actually happened, why it was so egregious, and how you can help.

DONATE to FIRE: https://www.fire.org/donate

The lawsuit:

BushartComplaintDownload

Shoplifting Arrest of Dementia Patient at Walmart | FINAL UPDATE | City Paid How Much??

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In a Walmart in Danville, Kentucky, 66 year old John Hardwick (who had been diagnosed with dementia) was mistreated by Walmart employees while on a grocery shopping trip with his wife. They callously mistook John’s confusion (due to his dementia) for attempted shoplifting, and then called the police. But the police were worse. Officer TJ Godbey punched this vulnerable man 6 times, which was caught on video. And then he, along with Danville Police Officer Ben Ray, arrested John. A lawsuit was filed, which I covered about a year ago. That case has now been settled, with the government claiming the high road. But there’s something they’re not telling you, and they can’t be allowed to cover it up, and escape accountability.

My prior videos on this incident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwxui4wNYls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehNXmlsfmdY https://youtu.be/7PgRk7TDKTc?si=trHZhLi_9-q3yPpP

My prior video on Danville Police Department’s other dementia victim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPQL9Ehgc7U

Online Petition: https://www.change.org/p/demand-dismissal-of-officer-tj-godbey-and-suspension-of-his-accomplices

Media Report: https://fox56news.com/news/local/settlement-reached-in-danville-arrest-of-dementia-patient-city-promises-reform/

Danville (Kentucky) Police Department: https://www.danvilleky.org/174/Police-Department

Danville PD’s Facebook (ouch, only 1 star): https://www.facebook.com/p/Danville-Police-Department-100083547963107/

The town’s public statement on the settlement:

Trooper Learns DUI Suspect Is Diabetic… Arrests Him Anyway — Lawsuit

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A sober man, who was actually a retired deputy suffering a diabetic crisis, was arrested for DUI by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The worst part about it is, this wasn’t just a mistake where a cop mistook a diabetic crisis for a driver being drunk. Brand new bodycam footage, given to me by the man’s lawyer, shows that this innocent man, Elmer Binkley, was arrested only after this 25 year old trooper (Ryan Nichols) learned that the man was suffering a diabetic crisis. He discovered the man was sober, and yet he arrested him anyway.

The lawsuit:

BinkleyAmendedComplaintDownload