My last video, about the Special Olympics Medalist who was followed, and then violently arrested, by a Clearfield, Utah police officer, made the TV news in Utah. A reporter actually went to the bar and interviewed Shawn, as well as the bartender, and others, which was fantastic. The Clearfield Police Department responded. But is their response adequate?
In Park City, Utah, a 73 year old bicyclist named Gary Peacock followed a 22 year old driver into a park. Claiming the young driver drove “too close” to him, as Peacock was riding his bike in the road, Peacock forcibly held the young man in his car, refusing to allow him to leave, as he called the police. The 22 year old, Pierce Kempton, uploaded the video to social media and it went viral. I spoke with him and got the full story.
Here’s the citation that was issued to Pierce:
This is the Utah statute that Pierce was initially charged with:
Here’s Pierce’s website, with links to his social media.
UPDATE 10/20/24 – Bodycam Released!
An internal investigation from the Bountiful (Utah) Police Department found its own Cpl. Jon Joubert used excessive force while arresting 64-year-old Gretta Jensen in December 2020. Body camera footage, recently released, shows Joubert appearing to punch Jensen in the face while she is on the ground as she yells for help. Jensen has filed a “$1 million federal lawsuit” against Joubert, alleging that he violated her constitutional rights by using excessive force when he arrested her. She also argues that she had committed no crime. Despite the internal investigation findings, Officer Joubert was only given a written reprimand.
Media report here.
Raw clip of the use of force: