Crowley Police Fail to Uphold the Constitution

Theresa Richard shared this post via CopBlock.org’s submit page.

Date of Interaction: May 21, 2014
Police Employee Involved: Officer Thibodeaux
Contact Information: Crowley Police Department (337)783-1234

For the past couple of months, my friend, Farrell Soileau, has been having issues with his neighbor. She doesn’t like him and she has been calling the police for every little thing he does that bothers her. Farrell bought a small handheld video recorder to try to capture the harassment.

On May 21st, the neighbor called Farrell’s landlord and claimed that he had been behaving inappropriately and that the police are always at his house. The landlord drove by Farrell’s house earlier in the day and told him that though he had been a good tenant for the last four years, if the police came out to his house one more time, she would evict him.

Farrell was using his camera to record his two dogs in the yard when the neighbor returned home. As soon as the neighbor got out of her car she began screaming profanity about him having the camera. She then walked from her house, some seventy feet, into the frame of the video and began cursing Farrell and his girlfriend. The neighbor finally walked back to her own property but continued cursing at him. Then she called the police.

This has been the behavior Farrell has tried to tell the police about. He had tried in the past to explain it but he was not able to articulate it or the police wouldn’t listen. The neighbor came down the street, stood in front of his house, and tried to start a fight.

On this particular day, officers from the Crowley, Louisiana Police Department showed up and spoke to the neighbor for a half an hour of so. Then they approached Farrell. Farrell, who is mentally handicapped, listened quietly as the officer told him that if he continued to disturb the neighbor by recording, he would be arrested. I asked the officer what the initial complaint was and tried to explain the situation between Farrell and the neighbor. I also tried to explain to the officer that Farrell was well within his Constitutional Rights to video record in a public place but Officer Thibodeaux was either too cocky or too stupid to listen.

Farrell is currently facing several different charges filed as a direct result of the neighbor’s slander. Because he is not exactly capable of sparring with Crowley Police Officers, who have a documented history of violating people’s rights, I gave him an “invocation” card. He has presented it to the police on several of the occasions during the investigations into the neighbor’s allegations so that his rights are invoked as soon as he makes contact with them. The police continue to tell him that he is not allowed to invoke his right to remain silent unless he is in an interrogation room. This has been the problem in the past as the cops come out and question him and trick him into incriminating himself in some way. They have taken advantage of his mental condition and taken the side of the neighbor during every call.

Farrell and I brought a copy of the raw video of the neighbor’s behavior to the police department on May 22 and Farrell filed a complaint against the neighbor. The officer looked at the video and told us that there were several charges which would be filed against the neighbor including simple assault and disturbing the peace. The officer told us she would be charged, but that has still not happened.

Farrell had a trial date set on May 10 in Crowley City Court for two of the charges stemming from the neighbor. He has arraignment twice in June for two other charges. His charges are open container (for an empty beer can he was spitting in), two charges for disturbing the peace with noise (the neighbor doesn’t like his tiny little radio), and littering (for raking his leaves into a pile of branches stacked on the side of the street like everyone else in town does). I am hoping by making this post it may help Farrell, and others like Farrell, find justice. Please call the Crowley City Prosecutor Jeff Brunson at (337)788-4117 or the Crowley Police Department at (337)783-1234.

Theresa Richard

Crowley Police Fail to Uphold the Constitution is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights