Tag Archives: Arrest

Education, Featured, Police Accountability, US

Investigation Requested after Video Shows Resource Officer Assaulting Student

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Officials in South Carolina are calling for a federal investigation after cell phone video showed a police officer throwing a Spring Valley High School student out of her desk and dragging her across the classroom.

Multiple videos were taken by other students in the classroom of the encounter between the white male officer and a black female student. The videos begin by showing the officer walking up to the girl and telling her to get up and leave the classroom. Shortly after speaking to the girl, the officer is seen putting her in a chokehold and flipping her desk over while she is still sitting in it as he attempts to remove her from it.

Leon Lott, the Richland County sheriff, said that the officer, a deputy with the sheriff’s department, was responding to a disruptive student refusing to leave the classroom.

“The student was told she was under arrest for disturbing school and given instructions which she again refused,” Lott said. “The video then shows the student resisting and being arrested by the SRO.”

Lott said he was “as upset as anybody and I’m very disturbed by what I saw,” and he has contacted the FBI to request an independent investigation into the incident.

“Appropriate action is going to be taken,” Lott said. “We’re going to do it as quick as possible. This isn’t something that’s going to linger on for weeks, or months or even days. It’s going to be done very swiftly.”

[UPDATE: Officer in Student Assault Investigation Accused of Pepper Spraying Vet in 2005]

The New York Times reported that Spring Valley High School is “a campus of about 2,000 students that is about 52 percent black and 30 percent white,” and that while officials have not released the names of either of the officer or the student, multiple students identified the officer as Ben Fields, a deputy who is assigned to the school.

One student who filmed the altercation, 18-year-old Niya Kenny, said she was also arrested for “disturbing schools” due to her reaction to the officer’s confrontation with the student.

“I was screaming ‘What the f, what the f is this really happening?’ I was praying out loud for the girl,” Kenny said. “I just couldn’t believe this was happening I was just crying and he said, since you have so much to say you are coming too. I just put my hands behind my back.”

Kenny said the student was asked by the teacher to leave the classroom for not participating. Kenny said when the student refused, an administrator was called in followed by the resource officer. Regarding the use of force by the officer, Kenny said she had never seen anything like it before.

“I know this girl don’t got nobody and I couldn’t believe this was happening,” Kenny said. “I had never seen nothing like that in my life, a man use that much force on a little girl. A big man, like 300 pounds of full muscle. I was like ‘no way, no way.’ You can’t do nothing like that to a little girl. I’m talking about she’s like 5’6″.”

A shorter video, seen below, shows the physical confrontation from a more direct angle following the verbal interaction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECnkuJ43oTo

Activism, Government Accountability

Native American Activist Found Dead In Jail Cell After Failing To Pay Fine

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Activists are calling for a private autopsy after a 53-year old man was found dead inside a county jail in Philadelphia, Mississippi on July 14th.

On July 9th Rexdale W. Henry, a community activist and member of the Choctaw Nation, was arrested and taken to the Neshoba County Jail in Philadelphia, Miss for failing to pay a fine. WTOK reports that he was found dead on July 14th around 10 a.m.. He had been seen alive only 30 minutes earlier.

The State crime lab in Jackson, Mississippi conducted the original autopsy but now Henry’s friends and family are calling for a private autopsy, according to Jackson Free Press. After his funeral on July 19th his body was flown to Florida for a private autopsy. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is said to be looking into the case.

Rexdale Henry recently ran for the Choctaw Tribal Council from Bogue Chitto. His case will now be handled by civil-rights activists John Steel and Diane Nash, cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The case will also receive support from Syracuse University law professors Janis McDonald and Paula Johnson of the school’s Cold Case Justice Initiative.

John Steele told the Jackson Free Press that his family is awaiting the results of two autopsies. “His fines shouldn’t have lead to his death. It couldn’t have been that bad,” Steele told the Jackson Free Press. The autopsy results will be released to the public once they are completed.

In November 2014, Michael Deangelo McDougle was also found dead  in the Neshoba County Jail.  The death of Henry is sparking outrage following a similar death involving activist Sandra Bland in Texas.

Police State, Politics, US

Getty Photographer Arrested by Ferguson Police

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On Monday, Ferguson Police arrested Scott Olson, a veteran photographer for Getty Images.

Olson’s arrest marks the second time journalists have been arrested while covering the protests over the death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Similar to the experiences of journalists Wesley Lowery from the Washington Post and Ryan J. Reilly from the Huffington Post who were arrested, Olson claimed he was “arrested for just doing my job.” All three journals were detained for several hours, and then released without any charges.

While before it had been Reilly who was arrested, this time he was able to bring attention to Olson’s arrest by posting a photo on his Twitter account:

Screen Shot 2014-08-19 at 9.04.50 PM

According to The Guardian, police were trying to detain all media to a certain area near the convenience store where Michael Brown “allegedly stole cigars minutes before he was shot by a police officer,” and when Olson was found across the street from that area, he was  “thought to have declined a request to move on.”

Scott Olson is responsible for a series of iconic photographs from the protests in Ferguson. Jack Moore, a Foreign Reporter for International Business Times featured a few of those images on his Twitter account:

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The Vice President for News at Getty Images, Pancho Bernasconi, released a statement prior to Olson’s release saying, “Getty Images staff photographer Scott Olson was arrested this afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri, while on assignment documenting the events there.”

“We at Getty Images stand firmly behind our colleague Scott Olson and the right to report from Ferguson. Getty Images is working to secure his release as soon as possible,” said Bernasconi. “We strongly object to his arrest and are committed to ensuring he is able to resume his important work of capturing some of the most iconic images of this news story.”

Following Olson’s release, Bernasconi took to his Twitter account to share a statement from Olson:

“I want to be able to do my job as a member of the media and not be arrested for just doing my job.“

Interviews, Politics, US

Exclusive: FL Sheriff Arrested, Charged With Felony & Suspended For Protecting Citizens’ 2nd Amendment Rights

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UPDATE: Reports are surfacing that the FL Sheriff was found “not guilty” and has been reinstated.

Liberty County, FL-

In a developing story, Sheriff Nick Finch was arrested, charged with a felony and suspended without pay for supporting a citizen’s 2nd Amendment rights. It’s not a story you hear every day. It’s certainly not a story you’d expect out of a county named Liberty.

The events began when Floyd Eugene Parrish, a Florida resident, was arrested and detained by one of Finch’s deputies for carrying a firearm without a permit on March 8th, 2013. In the state of Florida, this lands you a 3rd degree felony charge. Finch released Parrish because, in his assessment, Parrish was not a violent criminal and was acting innocuously. Finch called the clerk and told her not to draw up arrest documents until he was there to assess the situation. Note, Parrish had not been officially booked into jail- only detained.Finch

The arresting deputy had multiple complaints for overstepping his authority from citizens over the past several months before Parrish’s arrest. A month after Parrish was released from jail Sheriff Finch decided he needed to launch an internal investigation against the deputy due to multiple complaints and phone calls he had received. Once the deputy found out that an investigation was going to be launched against him, he resigned to keep the investigation from occurring. On May 1st, the deputy, who was no longer employed in the state of Florida, filed a complaint against Finch for the Parrish arrest that took place more 2 months beforehand.

Rick Scott, Florida governor,  stepped in and had Finch arrested. Governor Scott then appointed a new sheriff. Finch says he did not vote for the Governor. “I’m not a republican, or a  democrat. Just a man who believes in the Constitution,” says Finch. A rally was recently organized by Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Adrian Wyllie. Governor Scott was invited to speak, but was a no show.

 

Below is our exclusive interview with Sheriff Finch:

Q1: How have things been going since the Governor stepped in and had you arrested?

A1: Things have been tough. Especially on the family. We are living on one income right now. Willie Meggs, the state attorney, actually has family in Liberty County and it seems they were part of the group who were against my election to begin with. This is one of the most corrupt attorneys in FL. Having to live at their side has not been easy.

Q2: Why do you believe Governor Scott  had you arrested?

A2: I think that once the state attorney filed charges against me Governor Scott had to step in. I’m shocked and amazed that it has gone this far. The Governor claims he is pro 2nd Amendment, but I’m not so sure. I have offered to take a lie-detector test for the Governor if he thinks I’m not being truthful about the events that night. I am trying to work with the Governor- not against him. 

Q3: Do you feel that the stop on Parrish (the man Sheriff Finch released from jail) by your deputy, which lead to discovery of the weapon and his subsequent arrest was constitutional?

A3: The deputy arrested Parrish for “failure to maintain the lane”. Upon stopping Parrish he was not drunk, or under the influence of any drugs. I myself have traveled that same road many times. It is a single lane and is crumbling. I have gone off the road there multiple times.  Regardless, Parrish told the deputy that he did have a weapon. The deputy the arrested him for not having a licence. Sadly, we do not have cameras on the patrol cars, so it is really the deputy’s word against Parrish’s as to whether or not his driving warranted a stop.   

Q4: If you could go back to that night in March would you do things differently?

A4: Absolutely not. I wouldn’t have done anything different. Once I became aware of the arrest, I immediately called the clerk and told her not to book Parrish. I am a Desert Storm veteran. I took an oath to protect the Constitution in the army and again as a sheriff. The state is charging me with destroying documents, which never existed. They do not have a case.

Q5: How long do you plan to fight for this case?

A5: I do not expect to be convicted of the crime. However, I’ll fight it all the way to the Supreme Court if I have to. The state already made me an offer that if I resign they will drop the charges. To me, this means they do not have a case and it seems there are political motives to push me out rather than seek justice.

Q6: It seems like the tea party, libertarian crowd has really got behind you. Is being an “independent” sort of code for being libertarian?

A6: Reagan was the first president I ever voted for. I was a republican for years before I became an independent. As far as I am concerned it seems like there is no difference now days between republicans and democrats. To answer your question though, yes I am certainly seeming to lean more libertarian now days. 

Tea parties around the country have reacted. Mark West, Chattanooga Tea Party President, tells us in an exclusive interview:

“The Tea Party movement is united on multiple core issues. Of those core issues we hold the Constitution supreme. We are also united in protecting it from those who are attacking it in the states and federal government. This is probably one of the clearest examples of such an attack. Sheriff Finch took an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America. Because he took this oath seriously, Governor Scott sees it fit to have this elected sheriff arrested and charged with a felony. You’d expect more from a governor who claims to be a Republican, but no. As we are united on core issues, we must unite behind Sheriff Finch. This is a time for the grassroots to dig deep and take a stand. Finch is just one example of many. If we do not stand, it is only a matter of time before it is in our county. As an organization, the Chattanooga Tea Party has donated $500.00 to Finch’s defense fund, and many of our members have donated on top of that. Finch needs our support of the next months to years as he walks forward in this battle with his lawyers. He also needs our prayers. If we expect to have sheriffs who will protect our constitutional rights, then we have to support those brothers and sisters such as Finch who are willing to stand strong.“

West tells us that a fundraiser/rally is planned for Finch on August 24th. The Chattanooga Tea Party vice president is flying down to Florida to support Finch. Supporters have set up a Facebook page to keep up with Finch’s case.

Sheriff Mack, Founder, President of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), has taken a stand for Sheriff Finch. They have set up a defense fund for Finch and are rallying support from across the country.  I spoke with  Sheriff Mack about Finch’s case:

“Obviously we are getting very involved. We are having a fundraiser in Panama City, FL this weekend. Finch stood against the enforcement of a law, which is contrary to the Constitution. He stood in courage. Everyone would be in jail if it wasn’t for sheriffs like Finch setting a great example as to what all sheriffs in this country should be doing. We have been able to send Finch $3.5k already, and we have already raised about another $5k.“

Sheriff Mack tells me that the fundraiser in Florida this weekend will host some of the country’s finest constitutional sheriffs.

(EDIT 1)

Finch is being charged with violation of Florida Statute 838.022(1):  It is unlawful for a public servant, with corrupt intent to obtain a benefit for any person or to cause harm to another, to: (b): Conceal, cover up, destroy, mutilate, or alter any official record or official document or cause another person to perform such an act.

However, according to the state of Florida’s General Records Schedule any records of Parrish’s arrest lost their administrative value once Finch acted within his authority not to pursue charges against Parrish, and therefore could not longer be used or retained.

According to former prosecutor and attorney KrisAnne Hall:

“You see, when Sheriff Finch used his proper authority to not pursue charges against Mr. Parish, the records pertaining to his arrest lost their “administrative value.”  Sheriff Finch, by this Florida Regulation was within his authority to destroy this record. The arrest affidavit of Sheriff Finch gives a pretty detailed account of what took place.  But the arrest affidavit NEVER mentions Parish being booked into custody.  Being placed in a jail cell is not being booked.  If the arrest affidavit is accurate, and we have to trust it to be as it was given under oath, then Parish was never booked so the log that contained his name was in error and the Sheriff’s office also had full authority to white out his name and make space for someone who was actually booked into the jail.“

Finch first ran for Sheriff as a republican in 2008. He lost in that election cycle, and ran again as an independent when he finally won with the support of thousands in 2012. He first took office on January 1st, 2013.