Florida Shooters Network

Story:::

My wife and have a candle light dinner every Sat. After dinner we sat on our porch 2 stories up and was looking in to the canal with NVGs. I noticed flashlights on the property next door and looked in that direction. I saw deputies with lights. One shined his light into the NVGs so I took them into the house and turned on the flood lights and we were watching them next door wondering what they were doing.

A deputy walked out from under our home with a dog and on to our dock ( we live in a stilt house) and had no idea they were our property. we were watching him. He said something as he walked out from under our home, but he mumbled it more than anything. The deputy then said. You need to go into your house because your messing with my dog ( from 2 stories up and not saying a word to anyone). I asked him how are we messing with his dog from up here and he said because he keeps wanting to come up where you are. We turn and go inside and as I go in I said to my wife this is BS and shut the door.

Well I go into the bedroom to get ready for bed and looked out the window and saw at least 6 deputies coming towards our home and I walked to the living room and told my wife they were going to arrest me. Sure enough they came up my stairs unlocked a gate and knock on my door as me to step out and arrested me.

On the arrest report he wrote I was told 3 times to go into my home. Once when we saw them at the property next door, when he came from under our home and mumbled something and then when we heard him tell us we were messing with his dog. That was the first time we heard any of them address us.

What had happen was my neighbors down the road came home and walked in a burglar and fired a shot and missed him. We were out side and heard the shot and so what he shoots all the time off his dock. So instead of saying there MIGHT be an armed intruder in the area or asking if we saw anything. He just says your messing with my dog. He said he tracked the guy to our dock and he keeps wanting to come up where we are.

Well that was BS because we were out there and No one came on my dock and we did not hear or see anyone down there. I was charge with obstructing w/o violence for basically asking what they were doing on my property. Oh and the other neighbors standing outside on there deck saw what happened. I kid you not everyone including other LEOs thought I was joking when I told them this. 1st degree misdemeanor up to a one year in jail and 1000.00 fine. I was taken to Orient RD jail but not book or finger printed and no pic. was told to sign here agreeing to show up in court and let go.

I go to court the first time and just pleaded not guilty and get a trial date. My wife and I show up and after 2 hours and the judge said if he did not call your name off from a list to come up. I did. I was wearing a suit and tie and when I asked the smart ass young Asst.Prosecutors if I was on the docket he asked if I was the Lawyer or Defendant. I said defendant and he said shut up and go sit down. I did not want to get arrested for smacking his smart ass against the head and sit down.

I did get a bailiff to check for me and she said the case was closed. OK great and we leave. Then one week before Christmas I get a letter saying the case was reopened. Then it was dismissed 2 months later. When the deputy first arrested me my my wife went down to find out what was going on and the K9 deputy told her to go into the house or he would arrest her. She said this my property and the last she checked this was still America not some police state. The deputy told her that when he shows up it is a police state. She then said I dare you to arrest me. He turned and walked away. The other deputy apologized for having to arrest me when he transported me to a patty wagon and said it was up to the K9 deputy. This was a bullshit arrest if I ever saw one. Ihave lost all respect for Hillsborough LE. Right or wrong they will do what ever they want to you and let the courts figure it out. Like I heard one deputy say once, you might beat the crime but you won't beat the ride.

I would say something about the deputy deserving a good ass-kicking, but last time I did that I got chastised by the people who think cops are allowed to act above the law.

Find an attorney who'll file a false-arrest suit on a contingency basis.

scottly wrote:I would say something about the deputy deserving a good ass-kicking, but last time I did that I got chastised by the people who think cops are allowed to act above the law.

I have ran into one or two of those stick my head into the ground fools. To me they are just sheep. I plan on seeking damages

Let us know how it comes out!!!!!!!

In this case that cop should be fighting to keep his badge. And I usually error on the side of le. Good and bad in all walks of life, hope you prevail further in seeking damages.

Just try your hardest to follow it up and try to get him to lose his badge.

Nobody is going to lose their badge over something like this, so let's just get real. Unless there is video/audio evidence, or a number of credible witnesses, most of us stand no chance in a he-said/she-said situation. Rodney King is only famous because someone caught his beating on tape, but everybody knows that shit has been going on since the first cowboy got his badge.

The unfortunate reality is... many people that are given such power, abuse it. Look at our senators, representatives, city councilmen, etc etc for examples of this.

Here's the main issue that I have. LEO's are given extraordinary legal power, with minimal educational requirements. Just let that marinate a while...

I usually just keep quiet about this sort of thing on here.. i learned my lesson a long time ago. trying to defend a LEO on here is like walking into the ghetto wearing a KKK robe...

With that said.. im really appalled at the deputy's actions in this situation. He was trespassing on your land. I know how fresh pursuit laws work, I know he was looking for a suspect, but thats someone else's private property. Cop or not, you need to respect someone else's rights. I would understand if the suspect was present on your property.. but tracking a suspect with a k9 is another story.

I would be looking to file a suit regarding the violation of your 4th amendment rights, and for false arrest. I would also be filing a complaint with HCSO.

and for the record, im not cop bashing... i have a couple of applications in with HCSO as we speak for a couple of positions.

Good luck with all of that!

Hotspur wrote:Find an attorney who'll file a false-arrest suit on a contingency basis.

AMEN!

yeros68 wrote:

Hotspur wrote:Find an attorney who'll file a false-arrest suit on a contingency basis.

AMEN!

Bwaaa ha ha ha ha ha... He'll find you before you find him. There's a reason to this riddle...

you should have tossed two things off your balcony that night, a firecracker in one direction and a steak in the other and got he camera ready for an EPIC youtube video

I like Rentprops idea.These guys(cops like the one in this story)don't scare me,but they do disgust me,and most likely everyone but a cop just like them.I guess we just have to deal with it.

FLEMTP wrote:I usually just keep quiet about this sort of thing on here.. i learned my lesson a long time ago. trying to defend a LEO on here is like walking into the ghetto wearing a KKK robe...

With that said.. im really appalled at the deputy's actions in this situation. He was trespassing on your land. I know how fresh pursuit laws work, I know he was looking for a suspect, but thats someone else's private property. Cop or not, you need to respect someone else's rights. I would understand if the suspect was present on your property.. but tracking a suspect with a k9 is another story.

I would be looking to file a suit regarding the violation of your 4th amendment rights, and for false arrest. I would also be filing a complaint with HCSO.

and for the record, im not cop bashing... i have a couple of applications in with HCSO as we speak for a couple of positions.

Good luck with all of that!

I'm with you, well except that my applications were in the past and not current.




While I would hope that this pig (and that's just what he is, to call him a cop insults all of those that do the job correctly) loses his job over this, I doubt it'll happen. Maybe you will get lucky though and he has several complaints already, to the point that one more will put his job in jeopardy. There is no doubt he violated your rights. He has no authority to order you back into your house when you were simply sitting on your own property not saying or doing anything that would interfere with his job. The K-9's are trained extremely well and are trained to ignore outside distractions when they are given the command indicating it is time to work. If the dog is so inept that you sitting up on a porch not enticing it and it still can't focus on the job at hand then both the dog and the pig need to go back to training....... starting all over at square one. The fact that the other cops knew it was a bullshit arrest and still hauled you away should earn them an unpaid administrative vacation for a week or two as well as restricting them from any off duty special assignments for the next 6 months. When you hit them in the wallet they won't just let it go next time and will speak up when this pig (or another) pulls this abusive power trip.

For all you LEOs out there pay attention, this pig has just put your safety and life at risk. When you come across a situation like this you need to speak up, pull the pig to the side and let him know he is crossing the line. Tell him that if he insists on going through with the arrest that you will not be a part of it, he is on his own. If you do not stop pigs like this that abuse there power you dishonor the badge. I'm not talking about things like accepting a free meal while in uniform or catching a few Z's in an empty parking lot. I'm talking about doing something that infringes on another's rights and freedoms, violating the trust of the citizens you are paid to serve. Every time something like this happens it erodes the public's respect for all cops which not only makes your job harder it makes it less likely that you make it home safely. Should there ever come a time when you are hurt in a wreck, sucker punched by a criminal, or in some way in need of immediate assistance that can't wait for backup the public will think twice before stepping in to help. There are people, like some of us on here, that aren't afraid to jump in and help when trouble strikes. Each time we hear of things like what happened to the OP we hesitate a little more, to the point that there is less and less that we will help with. I personally have assisted in catching a shoplifter that decided to run. I saw the cop chasing him, right in my direction, so I stepped in the way and made it clear to the BG that I was a hurdle to get through. The BG hesitated and that misstep is all the cop needed to catch up to him. This was years ago. Now, after the number and type of incidents like the OP's not only would I not step in the way of a fleeing BG but I won't even look to see if the cop needs help once he catches the BG. The cop could be wrestling on the ground trying to gain control and avoid getting his butt kicked but unless I hear gunshots or someone yell that he has a gun I won't bother sacrificing my time. The chances are too high that the cop is either a pig or is a coward cop that won't stand up to the pig when he is abusing his power.....I am not putting my safety on the line for a pig or cop that doesn't deserve to wear the badge. I know I am not the only one that is willing to do less now than in the past due to the actions of the police. You can thank your power hungry, cops are above the law, brothers in blue for the crowd of people WATCHING as the BG bloodies your nose and blackens an eye instead of HELPING you avoid a beating.

A bully with a badge is never a good thing. If what the OP says is factually accurate, it's a shame the other officers refused to step in and stop the wrongful arrest. It would've saved everyone involved a lot of wasted time and money.

Kender wrote:While I would hope that this pig...

You are, of course, entitled to your opinions but you're not going to publicly use derogatory terminology more commonly associated with punk and gangsta cultures on FSN. Do it again and you'll get a suspension.

The proper legal action does indeed need to be taken. Possibly the media need to get called in though the lack of independent corroborating witnesses or taped evidence may make them leery.

The arrogance and bully mentality - interesting that in Europe the police were called "bulls" instead of "pigs" - has been inculcated and all too many think it's right. They could not be more wrong from a practical perspective. The police cannot function without the support of the public. Some may think that if they have no support they can demand or force it. That's the kind you ran into. But, one needs only look at Iraq, a small country with the US Army and all the technology trying to maintain order; see what happened during our occupation.

We all say there are "good" cops and there is only an "element". I blame the good cops, and this is directed at those reading it, because you, no, YOU shelter them with misplaced loyalty and blue brotherhood. You are encouraging them. We've all run into people, stupid people, who, if they are not on the ground bleeding, think they have won. That's the mentality you are dealing with. Unless they get their butts handed to them by Internal Affairs, they think they are right. When enough of this happens, guess who is in danger?

So why did they arrest you for not "following orders" and not your wife too . Sounds like she did the same thing .

If you feel wronged you need to file a complaint asap. Then you need to consult a lawyer and see what they can do for you.

even if he told you 3 times to go inside your house, you had no obligation to do so since you were on your property.

seek damages, this is worth a some tens of thousands of dollars (from what ive read in the past). its impossible to make an arrest disappear, afterall.

the only way cities and counties learn is when their precious tax dollars go to pay out claims.