Brickbat: By the Book

Susan Mait's SUV had broken down in Coral Springs, Florida, and while she was waiting for a tow a couple of local police officers pulled up. The officers and Mait disagree over what happened next, but it resulted in them arresting her for DUI and felony obstruction. Prosecutors dropped the DUI charge after toxicology tests came back. When Mait's attorney deposed the two officers, he asked if they used obscenities when talking to Mait. They said no. Then he asked if they'd warned Mait that she was disobeying a lawful command when, according to them, she refused to show them her driver's license. They said they did. Well, it turns out that Mait was on the phone with her insurance company when they pulled her from the car, and the company recorded the encounter. It showed one officer did use profanity, and it didn't capture either warning her that she was disobeying a lawful order. But it did catch the two of them hashing out what they would tell internal affairs. After hearing the tape, prosecutors dropped the remaining charge against Mait.

Brickbat Archive

Comments

[Whiterun Guard]

Wasn't that one of the plot turns in Horrible Bosses?

[Whiterun Guard]

Also, great, now we're going to have to buy cell phone jammers for every cop car so they can turn them on before they do some 'public service'.

[SugarFree]

What if the average motorist was just waiting for some brave officer to walk up before using a cell phone to trigger a bomb?

JAMMERS NOW!

[WWNGD?]

Can't tell if this is a joke or if it might happen. You can stream and record video onto a remote server from a cell phone also so I can see why the police would think it was a good idea to jam cell phones.

Remember: If you are not doing anything wrong, you have everything to worry about.

[SugarFree]

See, this is what happens when people can't recognize they got off lucky. Harassment? Cursing? False arrest? Who cares about all that?

Damn, Susan. Just take your life and go.

[runkomunko]

That looks like its gonna be good dude. Wow.

http://www.Anony-World.tk

[John C. Randolph]

Is the prosecutor going to do his job and take the perps to trial for perjury?

-jcr

[Xenocles]

No. That's what is meant by "Nothing else happened."

[John Thacker]

The article claims that:

Charges were dropped against the driver and prosecutors are investigating whether Coral Springs police officers Nicole Stasnek and Derek Fernandes filed false documents relating to the extraordinary encounter.

I wouldn't hold my breath for public shame to force the prosecutors into doing anything, though.

[Auric Demonocles]

"extraodinary"? Is that just because police didn't manage to seize the evidence that proved them to be lying?

[mr simple]

Isn't perjury a pretty obvious charge? What do they have to look into?

[sage]

and while she was waiting for a tow a couple of local police officers pulled up.

At this point you know it can only get worse. And typically does.

[Pi Guy]

What if they take your cell phone and turn it off "...so the battery doesn't die; it might need to be used as evidence."

Yes, had that done on Monday.

[Longtorso]

Yes, I know, but what pretend authorization do they have other than "fuck you" do they have to just randomly take cell phones to turn them off?

[sarcasmic]

What other authorization do they need?

You are supposed to submit like a good serf, and then take it up later in court.

If you can't afford a lawyer, well, at least you submitted like a good little serf.

/dunphy the knight in shining kevlar

[sarcasmic]

I assume that these officers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, right?

Haaaaaaaaaaaaa hahahahaha!

Thank you very much, I'll be here all week.

[Lost_In_Translation]

You know. If police departments just fired these people like they're supposed to do, stories like this wouldn't be so infuriating (because yeah, there are assholes that don't need to be wearing uniforms). But police departments seem to either be college fraternities or bureaucratic blackholes, or both, depending on city size.

[NL_]

The cops will probably not get in much trouble for what they did, but at the very least Coral Springs should pay for her attorney fees.

In a just world, they'd pay her for the time they stole from her, too. If they don't like it, they can stop bullying motorists and pinning bad charges on them. The city is liable for the actions of its officers.