How Many Law Enforcement Agencies Does it to Take to Prosecute One Man for Buying $200 Worth of Crack?

A Cedar Rapids lawyer was sentenced today to 15 days in jail and one year of supervised release for buying $200 worth of crack cocaine late last year. Stanley Roush will also have to pay a $2,500 fine and $250 in court fees. 

Roush was seen leaving a drug buy in November. Officers stopped him in a gas station parking lot. Roush claimed he had swallowed the crack, but officers found it behind the driver's seat.

Apparently, putting Roush away for two whole weeks required the cooperation of nearly every law enforcement agency in the state of Iowa, per the WCF Courier: 

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Justin Lightfoot and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; the Iowa City Police Department; the Clinton Police Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services; and the Iowa National Guard.

The Iowa National Guard!  

Comments

[Park Police]

Where the FUCK is our cut?!

And a partridge in a pear treeeeee!

[Aresen]

The reason is simple:

Each and every one of those agencies gets to count the conviction of Stanley Roush for his heinous crime as a 'scalp' when doing their annual reports.

[Hugh Akston]

Beat me to it. This is about arrest/conviction stats and the sweet, sweet federal grants that follow them.

The collegiality and cooperation of post 9-11/WoD law enforcement agencies is truly a source of despair and fear.

[Federal Dog]

"The collegiality and cooperation of post 9-11/WoD law enforcement agencies is truly a source of despair and fear."

They are RICO gangbangers who have given themselves badges.

[TELLMOFF]

This is one of the ways that jobs are created in the U.S.A. The other way is gambling.

[Fordah Chillen]

See? See how many jobs the War on Drugs creates?

[omnibot]

Too big to fail?

[Doctor Whom]

They're shovel-ready jobs, too.

[T]

I have an inkling why the WoD is contributing to the deficit. I may have to work to flesh this out some.

[Bingo]

Can we start counting the war on drugs as yet another government jobs program?

[Episiarch]

That's already covered under the fact that law enforcement agencies are a government jobs program.

[Bingo]

I wonder if dunphy realizes the irony of a member of a public sector union commenting on a libertarian blog.

[fried wylie]

sounds like an unobtainable level of self awareness.

[John]

The WSJ article on the suburban madam arrested in New York had an interesting tidbit.

Ms. Gristina has been the only person arrested so far in a five-year prostitution probe by the Manhattan district attorney's office.

Five years and one person. Apparently today they arrested one very attractive 30 year old women for working there. You NYPD at work.

http://online.wsj.com/article/.....ondStories

[EDG reppin' LBC]

God you mangle your posts with crap spelling. But I like you anyway, John.

[John]

Jesus. You mess up on You to Your and you get that?

[EDG reppin' LBC]

See if you can find the other typo. I know you don't care, and I appreciate your attitude. I just had to get it off my chest. I'll never mention it again. 🙂

[John]

Okay one sentence fragment. But that is not a misspelling.

[Socialistic Individual Sparky]

It's like screaming into a pillow, John. Sometimes you just need to get it out so you can move on with life.

[Almanian]

I gotta "ditto" EDG and Sparky.

Your spelling is....interesting....and endearing, John.

I can't talk, cause my typing is the WORST, so lot's o' spelling mistakes as a result.

Interesting, and endearing, John...:)

[killazontherun]

I missed the typo the first time reading it as well. Look at your spelling of 'woman.' Sentence fragments are an art form when used judicially and you handled your's well, so I don't want to see you discouraged from using them.

[skr]

How bout "madame"?

[FlyoverCountry]

Damn. I love living in Iowa damn near all of the time but this is hard to read. The state motto is: Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain. Hard to see us living up to that when this is going on.

[NeonCat]

Just keep repeating "It's for the children". When you wake up still repeating it, you will finally be a good citizen.

[Almanian]

Man, I LOVE Big Brother!

[Socialistic Individual Sparky]

Stanley A. Roush, 52, from Cedar Rapids, received the jail term after a Dec. 13, 2011 guilty plea to possession of crack cocaine after a prior drug possession conviction. Roush had previously been convicted in federal court for possession of marijuana.

How did this dangerous fucker escape being filled with 10000 bullet holes with that many enforcement agencies after him?

[Bingo]

He must have left his toy poodle at home.

[Almanian]

We clearly need MOAR TAX MONIES for OciFER Shooting Training!11!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Soft on crime? No, sir! Those LEO were all hard. Well worth the cost over $2,500 to the taxpayer.

[DeRast O'Destori]

Law enforcement observed Roush purchase the crack cocaine

since they were the ones selling it undercover.

[omnibot]

Like NBA basketball before forearm ink.

[Tim]

What? Wasn't the Harper Valley PTA involved too?

[Hugh Akston]

The Cedar Rapids Red Hats squeezed them out.

[Nope//]

'Twas the Junior Chipmunk Club.

[kinnath]

This is why I no longer read the local papers.

[Tonio]

How Many Law Enforcement Agencies Does it to Take to Prosecute One Man for Buying $200 Worth of Crack?

All of them, apparently.

[kilroy]

If there's anyone here in AZ, head on over to

http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/

and donate $100 please.

That'll put him 14/20 for the contributions needed for matching federal election funds. There are a few other states that are also pretty close. Good chance to at least pull a couple million in the libertarian direction.

[Suthenboy]

At what point does the government monster get so absurdly large, expensive, and obtrusive that people get fed up?

I think most people acknowledge that there is a problem, but like the person who ignores bills they cant afford to pay, we seem to be collectively putting our heads in the sand. The damn bill is gonna come due.

[AlmightyJB]

They acknwledge the problem but still want the government to fix every problem. It's worse than drugs and alchohol, because you at least get some enjoyment from them.

[Almanian]

At what point...

Given where we are, I'm guessing "never".

Unfortunately. I do what subversion I can without creating grave, personal danger. But...loooooootta people just want they gummint check, yo. So been tough to find kindred spirits.

[R C Dean]

I'm going with "never", as well.

What will bring down Leviathan won't be a doughty band of free men fighting for their liberty.

It will be math. Simple, remorseless math. The math that says we can't grow our government faster than our economy forever, and the math that our debt and pension/welfare obligations are already too big to be paid for.

[Doctor Whom]

At what point does the government monster get so absurdly large, expensive, and obtrusive that people get fed up?

If recent history is any guide, then only when Leviathan noticeably curtails their freedom, and only insofar as it does so.

[RoboCain]

How much crack do you have to smoke to think this is an efficient use of resources? I remember when entire counties had one sheriff and a couple of part-time deputies.

[Almanian]

You were alive in the 1830's!!!??

Stories, please...

[dunphy]

he's probably referring to Walking tall (the remake) wherein kitsap county sheriff The Rock walked around in jeans and had a few cohorts...

lol

in kitsap county

lol

[RoboCain]

No, the 1960's. In rural areas, many counties had very small populations. And many still do. There are privately-owned farms/ranches that are hundreds of thousands of acres, and state forests larger than Rhode Island. Also, many western states have huge tracts of federal land, so the amount of land left to many counties is relatively small.

Regardless, even in large cities the number of people working in law enforcement was nothing like is today. And half the different agencies we have now didn't even exist.

[Menthols Washington]

Am I the only one surprised that he got off so light? I mean, pigs routinely blow people away in pot raids. If they're so serious about hatefucking drug users, why let this guy off so light?

[1. White, 2. Lawyer]

QED

[dunphy]

i keep explaining

FIRST OFFENSE. NO PRIORS

15 days is a lot

around here, you'd get automatic diversion to misdemeanor court and likely NO jail time whatsoever.

contrary to reasonoidlogicz, it usually takes some hard work to get any real time for drug offenses, when they are merely possessory

you could actually RESEARCH the facts by going down to a local courthouse.

or talk to any defense attorney who specializes in that area

most of the time, you see these guys languishing away in jail/prison for drug offenses, they have a metric assload of priors, it was pled down from something much more serious and/or they were in possession of the drugs while doing a robbery, etc

i just arrested a guy for felon with a firearm.

he was previously arrested - felon with a firearm (3 in his car, loaded), DUI and hit and run and got a grand total of 6 months for that, despite prior felonies.

[dunphy]

oh, and i loved the race card crap. again, with no evidence. ask a lawyer who specializes in drug cases.

FIRST OFFENSE NO PRIORS for a drug possessory case almost always results in NO jail time, or a very very small sentence

reasonoids , for example, think cops etc. get a double standard for such offenses, and then compare them to some guy who has prior felonies etc.

ANYBODY, in most jurisdictions, who has no priors (specifically prior felonies or drug convictions although some other priors can make it a little worse) and gets arrested for a possessory offense will likely get no jail time

this case was STIFFER than most, likely because of fed involvement and publicity

[Menthols Washington]

If the criminal justice system is so light on drug offenses what's with all the swat raids on pot smokers?

[dunphy]

they are much lighter than the reasonoids constant claims etc.

the reality is- again , the sentences are such that first time possessory offense, even for meth, heroin, etc. usually nets probation and little to no jail time

this is entirely tangential to the overuse of SWAT which is a REAL issue and one i deplore as much as anybody

there is a difference between sentencing and usage of SWAT.

they are entirely different issues

not only am i against the overuse of SWAT, but i actually helped CHANGE my agency's police about same. iow, i did something about it, because it was wrong

but again, a different issue

[dunphy]

the story does show that, contrary to reasonoid belief, first offense for drug possession, etc. even "hard drugs" etc. usually results in little to no jail time, as in this case.

if this was a cop and he got 15 days, they'd be screaming "but it's because he's a cop. double standard derp derp" but the reality is this is VERY standard, except that usually first offense is less jail time than the 15 days here (if any). the involvement of the feds and the newsworthiness of the case are the likely reason why he got even 15 days vs. a day or two served

[TrickyVic]

That's not contrary to reasonoid belief. Most of us already know that the courts are pretty soft the first time. The general issue is that it's a crime at all.

""but the reality is this is VERY standard, except that usually first offense is less jail time than the 15 days here (if any).""

True.

""if this was a cop and he got 15 days, they'd be screaming "but it's because he's a cop. double standard derp derp"""

Maybe the trolls. A true reasonoid wouldn't call it a double standard. The focus would be the idea that maybe a cop should be held to a higher standard since their job is to uphold the law and they arrest others who do not follow the law.

Just sayin.

[dunphy]

it is contrary to reasonoidz belief As EXPRESSED here consistently because every time a case is presented with such sentences, inevitably we will get race card, or expressions of "why so lenient"

and every time the perp is a cop etc. we get claims of double standard

it's based on a false perception of what the standard is

i support the GOAL of NORML but they are awful offenders in this regard in that they completely misreprent the reality of ACTUAL sentences by using the trickery i already noted... like the guy with 5 prior felonies who was arrested for selling MJ and then gets plead down to possession and he gets a year

and they will say "this guy got a year for possessing pot"

they won't mention the tons of prior felonies for selling drugs or the fact that this case was actually for selling it, but it was pled down

that kind of shit

[TrickyVic]

""it is contrary to reasonoidz belief As EXPRESSED here consistently because every time a case is presented with such sentences, inevitably we will get race card, or expressions of "why so lenient""'

I've been posting here a long time, and I respectfully disagree. You might be confusing sarcastic or troll posts with reasonoids. NO libertarian is complaining about light sentences for drug possession other than there should be no sentence at all.

Almost all of the double standard claims involving drugs against LEO here involve self defense double standards. Like shooting someone due to the belief of danger opposed to the actuality of danger.

[dunphy]

actually, then i guess sloopy, epi, etc. aren't "true reasonoids" those are the usual suspects.

of course i believe the criminal justice system should NOT punish cops more harshly.

i think it should punish them the same

however, the difference is the ignorati'sand even epi admitted recently he has no idea what the stats/trends are etc. about police stuff, he just operates on how stuff "seems" to him (based on reason, etc. lol) claim that there is this massive double standard wherein cops routinely get off for doing the same stuff that people get harsh sentences for

no amount of debunking evidene will ever convince them

i've even presented a case where a judge STATED he thought cops deserved harsher sentences, and GAVE one (not a single case in WA state of a noncop with no prior felonies getting anywhere NEAR that sentence) and they still claim double standard derp derp derp

[TrickyVic]

""actually, then i guess sloopy, epi, etc. aren't "true reasonoids" those are the usual suspects.""

Nothing personal to them, but they obviously hate cops.

""claim that there is this massive double standard wherein cops routinely get off for doing the same stuff that people get harsh sentences for""

In some respects that is true. Cops get away with using deadly force where others would not. We could fault the cops, courts, laws, or the jury, but that doesn't change the outcome.

[TrickyVic]

I routinly fault juries, and the voting public for those outcomes.

I've heard many, many times the badge is a brotherhood. Brotherhoods are responible for the what we called in the Marine Corps, the 10%. Everyone pays the price for the fuckups.

[TrickyVic]

And if you don't think a double standard is applied. Remember that a citizen does not have a right to defend themself from an unlawful act by a LEO, but a LEO has a right to defend themself from an unlawful act of a citizen.

[TrickyVic]

""The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Justin Lightfoot and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; the Iowa City Police Department; the Clinton Police Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services; and the Iowa National Guard.""

The more the merrier, the taxpayer foots the bill.

[Brian from Texas]

Here's another bad joke:

Q: How many Teamsters does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Twelve. You gotta problem with that?

[fried wylie]

we also would have accepted:

"be a shame if anything were to happen to such a nice lightbulb."

[JeremyR]

What, no Highway Patrol?

[Juvenal]

Linn County, Iowa is like a third world country. You can and WILL be arrested for public intoxication or "simulating" intoxication. Law enforcement has a backroom processing station for anyone who drinks more than 4-5 beers at a concert in Cedar Rapids. Once you are booked, you will spend a night in jail

[Tina Marie]

lol, ignorance is bliss, cops are so lame. Downright stupid

http://www.World-Anon.tk

[Sean H.]

As someone who works with a former national guardsman, I can illuminate a bit on that. The drug enforcement folks routinely snatch up national guard folks to assist in drug stake-outs and all sorts of things, since they often have better training in recon, staying hidden, and the like. This is not uncommon, apparently.