After what may have been a contrived incident of road rage on someone else's part, I was arrested by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department this morning for possessing a loaded handgun in my vehicle without a permit. The other guy (the one exhibiting the road rage) was, as far as I know, not ticketed for anything. In fact, the Deputy, one nasty piece of work named Cornelius, told me loudly to "shut my . . . hole" when I asked about it. At no time was I impolite or contemptuous.
I was cuffed, arrested, and taken downtown by another far more professional, even kindly, deputy and booked on a $1000 bail, but then let go a couple hours later on a signature bond. The worst part of it is that our only car was impounded, towed, and we are still awaiting word on where, when and how much it will be to pick it up. At the time I was on the way back home from my doctor's appointment by way of the route I always take.
The stint in the jail holding cell was interesting. The wall and ceiling art made of carvings (how did THEY get a knife in there?), excremental scrawlings (swastikas, of course), paint peelings (the head of the devil was particularly well done) and toilet paper papier mache were quite inventive.
As I said, they let me go after getting my photo, fingerprints and signature.
Boy, is Rosey going to be pissed. Strike that. She's already pissed. I may live this down in another five or ten years. Upon expert friendly advice, I will have nothing more to say in this venue about the facts of the case.
-- Mike
III
PS: My pistol will be returned tomorrow. . . without the rounds. (Seized ammunition is used by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department for practice -- and if not it almost always goes home with a well-connected deputy -- and it is almost never returned. Even if the charges are dropped. Even if we're talking about cases of ammo in the same situation.)
72 comments:
Just go on to the next thing. That's the only advice that's ever worked for me. And good luck with your book.
Sorry to hear this, Mike.
The nail that sticks up gets hammered.
There are a lot of sociopaths on the roads. Some drive cars with light bars on the roof.
You might have heard that Philadelphia gun owners WITH Florida nonresident CCW PERMITS are being arrested for carrying concealed and their guns confiscated in violation of the PA-FL reciprocity law and PA state law. A LEO commenter says he was told at the academy to ALWAYS confiscate any gun.
The barometer seems to be falling.
Godspeed in your latest tribulations.
Strikes me as a setup of some sort.
That's too bad man and we've got our own crap here.
NC Declared 'Gun Free Zone' In Anticipation Of Hurricane Earl
http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2010/09/nc-declared-gun-free-zone-in.html
Seems somebody sent you a message.
I won't comment on your case save, good luck. If you get a chip in I'll advertise it for you.
Something smells here!!! It also seems to me too that you were sent a message.
Don't let them use this as an excuse to come and take the rest of your guns!!!
Law enforcement has embraced the dark side. You and I along with so many other Patriots have targets on our backs!!!
Doug
Newark, Ohio
Alabama law prohibits a person who has been convicted of an offense involving firearms from getting a concealed pistol permit.
The permit fee is only $20.
Ask your lawyer for the charge to be dismissed with the understanding you will apply for a permit. Cutting such a deal seems better than going about unarmed.
MALTHUS
"...by way of the route I always take."
Yes, this was a message. And not just to you.
If you can do so, without violating 'mens rea', could you let us know what the alleged law in your neck of the woods is?
Peter
Sorry to hear of your predicament. It sounds very fishy to me.
It's an illustration of why it's important to exercise a great deal of restraint when armed. It's everyone's right to be armed, even if "the system" doesn't seem to trust us.
Here's
Alabama Gun Law for your reference.
A set up? Probably, the actual deputy that scored you might be aiming for a job in the federal thug food chain or have a relative at BATFAE or the like, so is doing their dirty work.
It happens.
Hope things work out positively and soon.
We are all targets in this 'movement'. Expect more of the same and probably more so in the next two years. Attitudes have inertia and take a while to get turned around.
Hopefully, sanity will prevail soon in your case.
Bob Katt
I'm sorry to hear about that. I hope it all gets worked out for you.
Bama requires you to get a permit to carry a loaded handgun in your car??? What kind of permit would you need to be able to carry a handgun in your car? I thought Bama was one of the open carry states.
Any way we out here can help? I ain't rich but I reckon I could send you a 10-spot via paypal or suchlike without gettin in too awful much trouble with MY boss.
Keep us posted.
Bad Cyborg X
Ever thought of moving?
Arizona - No prohibition of concealed carry at all if 21+.
New Mexico - Extended domain, your vehicle is an extension of your home. Can carry however you want in your car.
Texas - Can carry in vehicle, must be concealed.
I'm sure there are other states that are more car-carry friendly.
so I am left to wonder if they took your gun, I am assuming they did....
and if they did take your gun, and you did not resist, then the flash point to the restoration is delayed....
They're terrified of you, Mike. Why else would they fake a road rage incident? Cowards all of them. At least they're consistent. Bastards.
uh-oh. standing by.
Mike-
Call the Department of Justice if you want justice. Isn't that what they're there for?:) They have a slogan on their website, "The common law is the will of Mankind issuing from the Life of the People."
The quote is from C. Wilfred Jenks, an English socialist from the last century. If the Powers That Be don't want to admit they're socialists, why do they put a slogan from a well-known socialist on their website?
I hope only good things come of this, Mike. Keep the faith, my brother, and I'll pray for you. I'll pray that justice be done, but that's God's department. I can only do the footwork as He guides my steps.
Sounds like a setup.
I am surprised you let him arrest you for your God given and second amendment protected right to bear arms!
Are you not ready to be with the Lord
You cannot obey conflicting laws!
The supreme law of the land (constitution) says your right shall not be infringed, that Sheriff took an oath to uphold the constitution of his state and the U.S. constitution and he broke it.
You chose to obey a conflicting law, now a man must settle these things in his heart before it happens, I have made my choice and will not die as a law breaker because I have a right to bear arms and do not cower under the false pretense of statutory jurisdiction, my constitutional right does not end at any states border. When I die not being disarmed I firmly believe I will still be pure before my God.
And Mike I am telling you that no man will disarm me or arrest me on a false charge.
You have disappointed me greatly.
I will not lick any mans boot.
I would of warned that deputy to think of his family.
Where is your gun now?
I had something similar happen to me several years ago. After weeks dragged into months, I finally had my day in court. My sentence? I had to forfeit the gun and attend a two hour gun safety course where I was able to buy a new gun.
Brock Townsend makes a good point. Sounds like another ''free katrina'' waiting to happen.
Did you give him your name first? Bet they wanted a nice mug shot to sell to the media. Also, do you need a permit to carry a loaded weapon in AL? I did not think you did. If not, I would sue the state.
Its beginning.. ? ..or maybe the hardcase cop needs to lay off FFMary and find a GF.
Mike, I have sent you an email.
We're all praying for you.
typeay
Bad Cyborg, it's sort of funny here. Loaded weapon in a car is considered CCW unless he had it sitting up on the dash. Then it becomes open carry.
While I agree with the "don't need a permit" crowd in principle incidents like this are why I maintain mine. Not a hill I'm willing to die on.
I might could dig more into the ins and outs of this if you want. Several years back (pre 9/11 world) my brother sold a Ruger Mk II to a friend who later got nabbed with it in a car much like you.
The weapon was confiscated and they managed to somehow trace the serial back to my brother (he bought it new). My brother had to go get it from impound. They wouldn't give it back to the guy he'd sold it to.
You're on someone's shit-list, Mike. But you already knew that. Matter of fact, you're probably on a lot of shit-lists.
All the more reason to keep the faith, and the fight. If anyone will stay the course, we know you will. Just make sure you document every stinking thing. Carry a camera (a Flip is a good device), get everything "on the record" and keep your lawyer nearby.
We need more cops. Who else could collect the kind of revenue from average folks, and who else could harass us with impunity?
Who else will protect us from bad guys like you Mike? ;)
Let me get this straight. They take your gun AND your ammunition but only return your gun??? This is theft any way you want to look at it. I don't care if it is two rounds from a Derringer or two cases of a thousand each. They used a badge to steal your property!!!!!!
You have been setup big time!! They have put a tail on you to figure out your routine. How quick after the road rage incident did the cop show up?? Nothing appeared to have happened to the other person??
American society has been infiltrated by pukes of all different stripes!!!
I'm surprised that you were not zapped with a taser for good measure.
This story makes my blood boil!!!!!
Doug
Newark, Ohio
Wish we had more details - otherwise all is pure speculation and worthless - but understand your need to keep your own counsel in this case as well...
All that said, if the other guy started it, committed any assault or other crime, and wasn't also arrested or at least charged, then I'd say you have grounds for a complaint against the deputy and the department.
Then again, this may not be the hill you want to die on...
In any case, I'm praying for you and yours and will gladly contribute my pittance to any "need" fund you may have -- it's the LEAST I can do for all I've gained from you and your writings.
OTOH, if Absolved were available, then you'd have nothing to worry about.
Any new ETA??
DD
DD
Not to "Anonymous 3:24 PM"
Hey gutless, fuck you and the anonymous camel you rode in on. All talk and no balls, little Blue Falcon Buddy. You blast Mike while telling everybody how baaaadass YOU are, and how YOU would do this and that.
You are so full of shit you could fertilize Al Gore's garden just by walking through it.
And I will bet my house and SUV right now that you have never served one day in military combat... because combat vets don't run their mouths like chickenshits who hide behind anonymity.
Now - why not go back to your basement apartment until Mommy gets your din-din ready, and play with your WII or whatever you do, and leave the grown ups alone.
That's why we call 'em pigs.
I don't know any of the specifics, and Mike's business is his own.
That said, for those who choose to exercise their God-given right (read the Declaration of Independence) without begging permission are 100% in the clear, legally. Marbury vs Madison, Norton vs. Shelby County and many other legal decisions buttress the Constitution on this matter, which by itself is crystal clear.
The practical problem is that gangs of armed thugs are running to and fro throughout the land, violating the law at a whim, under a flimsy pretense of enforcing that same law. Thugs in black dresses currently have the other thugs' backs.
Those that have the guts to risk their lives to freely exercise their God-given (not government-granted) rights to keep and bear arms without first begging deserve the support of every free man and woman.
Good cop, bad cop routine, eh? Quelle surprise!
This is just another example of why they should be the first.
God bless you, Mike. Hopefully this gets cleared up with no permanent damage. I too have been arrested for having a pistol without the King's permission.
The following is adressed to the fools (or at least one fool so far) who are suggesting that Mike ought to have shot his way out of this.
1) You folks have obviously never found yourself in that kind of situation before. I have. I have had guns pointed at me by cops, who proceeded to take ALL of my guns. If I had opened fire, I would be dead. I stayed alive instead, and have acquired more guns. It's all well and good to say, "When they come for my guns, they can have them one bullet at a time," but you've never been there.
2) We all think very highly of Mike, but at this stage of the game, his bloody death by the side of the road would not be the spark to kick off a civil war. It would be a spectacle on the nightly news, and a convenient excuse to turn the heat up on you. For now, Mike is more valuable to us alive than dead, so let's not be so hasty to sacrafice him for the cause, okay?
3) It is wise to pick your battles, and live to fight another day. A smart general does not throw his forces away in suicidal attacks just because the enemy is before him, and fighting the enemy is "the right thing to do." Discretion is the better part of valor. Our time will come. I need reminding of that myself sometimes.
-Dan aka AwakeAndDangerous
Hmmmm... was Cornelius his LAST name?
Might be that ugly dude who used to be the host of Soul Train! I heard he'd been hard-up for work since that gig went South.
Really Mike ... you should have a chit-chat with your county Sheriff. Nice and polite. Remind him of his position and his duty. Worked for me anyhow. And make a friend with a Sergeant or higher ... someone in position in your area. Then you wouldn't have these problems.
Has anyone considered triple charged (with bullseye) 38 specials just "waiting" to be confiscated?
I imagine the same scenario would work wonders in a 40 - or 357 - or 44.
Kind of like leaving a shit sandwich for the habitual fridge raider at work.
Kah BOOM!
Liability? Fuck you, pal. Steal at your own risk.
Why would you need a permit to have a gun in your own vehicle?
Move to Texas!
WarriorClass
III
Mike -
If there are no Nuremberg Trials here - I'm sure there will be on the 'other side' !!!
You are in our prayers.
Old Soldier III
The cops stole the ammunition? That seems pretty petty and small.
They probably expect you to be grateful you were "allowed" to keep your gun.
sorry to hear about this Mr Vanderbough.
Yes it does seem to me that this incident was a setup; and hopefully all charges will be dismissed
thats kinda crazy that you have to be a permit holder to carry in your car
Here in Texas, as mentioned earlier, as part of the "castle law", you can have your sidearm under the seat in your car without any kind of permit.
anyway, good luck bro
Paul
I recommend investing in signal detectors and jammers.
You might not believe me, but they are watching you. They are tracking everything you do and say. I had a previous contact thrown into an asylum on false drug charges. They did something to him, he doesn't even act like himself anymore.
...Don't talk to police...ever, you have seen the video many more times than I have.
It is best to not interfere openly to the revenue collection, Robin Hood never struck back when people were watching.
Mike, I hope this incident is merely the confluence of an irresponsible jackass motorist and a subhuman county mounty having a bad day....
I know you will handle it with the same intelligence you show here every day.
If it turns worse and suspicions of foul play prove true...
One Hundred Heads is always in play.
It was a setup, Mike. The other driver was probably a cop himself.
These people are so transparent. Not stupid, just transparent.
It was clearly meant to send you (and us all) a message.
Sounds like being a freedom outlaw got you a couple hours in the local pokey. Small price to pay. I'm going to await further details before posting further comments.
"...by way of the route I always take."
Well, there's your problem! Not that I'm one to talk, mind you...
Complete setup. They are gunning for you, Mike. From the Feds all the way down. Keep the faith and let us know if you were accept donations for your legal defense.
Sounds like ya'll need a GeorgiaCarry.Org type organization in Alabama to get those unconstitutional laws to be changed.
Amazing amount of faith by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department in the quality and safety of seized ammunition to be using it for practice.
Mike,
Sounds like you were stalked and ambushed. I wonder if you can look into the particulars of the "other half" of the road rage. Does he live and work in the area? Or is he from out of (town - county - state). Or was he a tourist just wandering through (kof-kof). (Other thoughts deleted by self).
What I'm trying to say, is were you just an unfortunate victim of a series of bad, but unrelated, circumstances?
Or were you set up by someone higher up? (Cue the heavy music -- Duh-duh-duh. Time for a "Conspiracy Theory")
B Woodman
III-per
Wow, how stupid, to use seized ammo.
I see the opportunity for sabotage, seems like the liability would be to high for them.
Kind of makes you want to spike the last round in the magazine :-)
Come to the Sunny Side(AZ). We don't have cookies, but we do have Constitutional Carry.
(And the Verification Word is "realizer." Really.)
Good choice, Mike. This is a battle for the courtroom, not the roadside. "Anonymous" at 3:24pm may have some brave sounding rhetoric, but they're tactically foolish and morally questionable.
- Mark III
Now, what possible purpose would have been served if Mike resisted these goons and got himself shot? How would that have changed anything for the rest of us... unless it indeed became the "shot heard round the world" and started WWIII.
Is that what you all want? Are you all so eager to kill and die?
Leave them alone. The goblins and orcs are doing a fine job of setting themselves up for disaster. They're cutting their own throats to spite OUR faces and can't understand why they are now beginning to choke and flounder as we stop feeding them.
Let the dead bury their own dead. Let them kill each other off. Ignore them, laugh at them, and don't let them isolate you for their attacks if at all possible.
It is our job to survive and be ready to build a new and better society in liberty and justice for all... once the trolls and orcs finish making themselves irrelevant.
Mike,
I am convinced you did exactly right not playing into their hands and resisting. This is so obviously an attempt to render your voice silent without risk to the perps. In the coming months we will need such a voice.
BTW this is exactly why I do not carry expensive firearms in public. It is a small matter to take an inexpensive firearm and turn it into a dependable shooter.
May God protect you.
Mike I hope you get through this with a minimum of fuss and hope to read the deets when you have finalized the situation.
To the rubes the talk about how he should have done this or that - WTF?
I like the comment on having some friends in LEOland.
All the best,
Cory
Ain't it interesting how your Constitutional rights can just be brushed aside and your private property converted to public or private use without your consent?
Almost makes you feel like you're not in charge. It certainly doesn't feel like you are free.
Maybe you could get a photo of this individual to post?
Soldier on brother. May be a good time for us all to check our A.O.
God's speed.
wl moses
I forgot.
Don't take too long tracking down your vehicle. I've seen some cases where they charged $100 per storage day, to get it out. If you can't get it out, they sell it to defray their "costs"....
For anyone thinking of installing a video system for such occasions a word of warning. When you are arrested the vehicle will be searched incident to that arrest and the property logged. Video will likely be destroyed if the system is discovered. Pinhole cameras (Concealed) with a separate "Quality" microphone is the order of the day.
Make certain that your recording device (camera body or DVR) is also concealed and that any noise emitted is not audible. Nothing can look out of place either or it will draw unwanted attention.
Please! Get one of those cell phones for which you pay only on the days you use it. Keep it off so you don't leave a location tracking trail. As soon as something exciting starts to happen, turn it on and text message/twitter/email fifty of your closest friends with a GPS location. Get a nerd to set you up with some kind of text/twitter/email distribution list and automatic whatsit on the phone so all of this happens with one button. Send a general message like 'something potentially life-altering is happening to me right now, come check it out'. Works for medical problems, too.
To keep the phone from listening to GPS and recording locations or talking when it's supposed to be off, put it in a metal box. A rectangular Christmas cookie tin is pretty and has a nice overlapping metal closure, but is easy to open one-handed. Connect the lid to the box electrically with a wire, soldered or crimped to ring terminals attached with small hardware. Then get your local ham to check it. A larger box would leave space to put other phones in, too.
How long until the cops end up with spiked round someone turns in because they wanted to "keep them away from [insert relative her] who shouldn't have a gun" or some such bs story? If the local thugs were smart they would be leaving over charges everywhere for the other thugs [cops] to "confiscate".
We're here for you, Mike
You need to move to Texas. You can carry as many handguns and long guns as you want in your vechile.
Hey, as you know so well, the system is weighed against you.
Back last October I was walking my dog on the rural road I live on. It was 4am that October morning....I was walking her prior to going to the gym.
As always, in the dark, I was carrying a Surefire flashlight to warn any oncoming asshats that there were living creatures in the road.
Lo and behold, sure 'nuf, some a-hole comes flying toward me down the middle of the road; almost him me and the dog. I flash him with the Surefire. He goes down the road, turns around and stops. Wants to know what my "fuckin' problem is ?"
I go to his driver side and commence to tell him. Finally I tell him...."fuck this, I'll just turn you over to PA State Police. Well, he gets out of the car and shoves me....I whack him center mass on his 20 year old face with the coffee mug I had (btw it was a "Don't Tread On Me Yellow mug); down he goes. Crying I split his lip.
Well, the fuck was on a suspended license but nevertheless the PA State goons saw fit to charge me and even though the punk (I'm 56)had a string of convictions, driving suspended, drug convictions, I was found guilty of splittin' his lip!
Point is....no matter how right you are in defending oneself, the scumbag cops and judiciary will bang you just about every time.
Never trust a cop or a judge.
DAN
III
Will Hawkens, USMC Retired.
God Bless You. You'll find lots of anonymous keyboard warriors here and elsewhere. They talk a lot of feces. But few have ever walked the walk.
Thank you for your service.
Dan Galena, US Army, Retired
"As soon as something exciting starts to happen, turn it on and text message/twitter/email fifty of your closest friends with a GPS location."
Does the expression "furtive movement" mean anything to you? "I thought he was reaching for a gun, so naturally I blew his head off. Do I get a medal for that?"
To -Dan aka AwakeAndDangerous
Not to be a nit picker but just so You and OTHERS know if Something where to happen to the Dutchman at the hands of ANYONE in Law Enforcement from ANY Agency, I for One, Maybe the Only One,(but I doubt that)will go collecting the price for that action what is that price you might ask well It Is 100 for Each One that we lose.No Fort Sumter's Mike. But also No Ruby Ridge´s, No Waco´s, No Katrina´s, No Stolen Elections and No Other B/S Mishaps to Our Spokespeople.
We will not be quieted, we will not Disarm, and we are not going away.
Dennis
III
Texas
Considering what hornets nests you've been kicking I'd STRONGLY recommend two courses of action.
1. After getting your vehicle back inspect it as completely as possible for anything that might have been added: drugs or other contraband, bugs, GPS trackers, etc. Hopefully some 3% (or 10%!) mechanic could help you out with that. Trim pieces, gas tank, everything.
2. Buy a new barrel for the pistol that was taken and destroy the old one.
I hope those recommendations are very overly paranoid, but if I were in your opponents shoes and had to think of a way to get rid of you without triggering a civil war...
"As soon as something exciting starts to happen, turn it on and text
message/twitter/email fifty of your closest friends with a GPS
location."
"Does the expression "furtive movement" mean anything to you?"
"As soon as" means when you first see the lights, while you're still slowing down and your arm movements are hidden by the seat. Rumor has it that people in Appalachia were good at transporting moonshine through the first war on drugs. I'm sure the same cleverness can arrange to put the phone under a seat, activated by pulling a string, the whole works invisible to casual observation.
Or put a bright LED banner message sign in your back window: "now texting buddies", "27 buddies responding", "video feed now live to waronguns", etc.
This sort of thing only means a big smile as we get a good sight picture on that shiny little piece of tin when the time comes. Soon, very soon, I feel.
Post a Comment