It Starts With a “Seatbelt Violation”…

Watch the video below, then read the commentary:

From the cameraman:

It all started about a month ago. I was sweeping up some dust and debris in the back bedroom of an apartment when I heard someone let themselves in the front door. I walked out, and a man said “I’m Marcus with the City of Bowling Green Business Licensing Division. Are you doing some work in here?”

I responded, “I don’t answer questions without my attorney present, and this is private property, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave unless you have a warrant.”

He asked a few more times, and I told him again that I don’t answer questions. Then he asked if my boss was around. I told him I don’t answer questions. He kept asking questions along those same lines, and I ignored him as I politely ushered him back out the door. I locked up, and as I was getting in my vehicle to leave, I heard him say to his supervisor on the phone “well I can’t cite him if he doesn’t identify himself…”.

Since that encounter, the City of Bowling Green, and the Warren County Licensing Board have shown up at a few other job sites, asking me questions which I refuse to answer. On Monday, October 24th, they showed up again. After refusing to answer his questions, and ignoring his demands to stop working, he called his supervisor. He again said “I can’t fine him if he doesn’t identify himself…” and then to me “Sir, she says you have to stop working.” I asked who said that, and he said his supervisor, and I said “I don’t work for her,” and kept doing what I was doing. After that, he called the police. I was just about finished, and by the time I was packed up, the police had still not arrived, so I left, seeing as there was no legal reason for me to wait.

The next morning, as I was heading down the driveway of an apartment building, a police squad car pulled into the driveway, blocking my egress and waved me down. I set the vehicle in park, and started video recording. The officers stated that they were there to “investigate” a possible unlicensed contractor.

At this point, the stop is illegal. The police can’t stop me for a civil infraction, and under Kentucky law, operating without a contractor’s license is a civil matter. After they realized that they had no grounds to stop me, they switched their reason, and said they stopped me for not wearing my seatbelt. I was still in the driveway, on private property, and was in the process of putting on my seatbelt when they blocked me. The officer saw me dragging it across my body as they pulled in front of me. At this point I knew I was being full on harassed, and decided that a month of harassment was enough. If they wanted me, they were going to have to take me to jail.
The whole interaction was caught on video, and the majority of it was streamed live to Facebook.

After the arrest, I was taken to the Warren County Jail. Once there, I asserted my right to remain silent, and refused to answer any questions without legal counsel. I also refused the medical screening. They said they could not “book” me until I had been medically cleared, so they loaded me up and took me to the hospital. There, several nurses, and a doctor, attempted to ask me questions, which I again refused to answer.

One nurse asked for my insurance information, and I told her that I don’t answer questions without my attorney. She said that if I didn’t give them my insurance info, they would bill me personally for the visit, and I said I am here against my will, they have no right to bill me, and that I will not answer any questions without an attorney. The doctor tried to check my pulse and blood pressure, and I pulled away, and said “Please don’t touch me, please don’t touch me, please don’t touch me…” He kept trying to touch me, and I dropped t the floor and rolled away from him so he could not take my pulse. At that point, the officers made the first “overt” threat of violence and said that if I did not let the doctor take my vitals, they would physically restrain me, and warned me not to resist. At that point I complied, although I did talk, and cough, and flail about, attempting to render the doctors efforts useless, but they apparently got me “medically cleared” enough to take me back to the jail for booking.

Back at the jail, I again refused to answer questions. After a while, they decided it was time for “enhanced interrogation techniques”… They strapped me in a “restraint chair” for 4 hours, refusing to let me use the restroom. The chair was very uncomfortable, and the restraints were very tight. I checked my capillary refill a couple times, and near the end of the 4 hours, my hands were getting swollen, my legs had fallen asleep, and my capillary refill in my left hand was down to about 4 seconds (1-2 seconds is normal/healthy). After 4 hours, I could no longer hold my bladder anymore, and was told that my choices were piss myself or answer questions… I chose the latter. Under duress, I answered their questions, and afterward, was allowed to use the restroom. When they unstrapped me from the chair they warned me not to move until the feeling returned to my legs, indicating that they knew what this chair was designed to do…

I used the restroom, called my wife to post the bond, finished the booking process (pictures and fingerprints), signed for my property, and left. After I got home, I realized that the cash from my wallet ($16.82 according to the property reciept) was missing. Too late, since I had already signed for my property, but it definitely added insult to injury…

At the end of the day I was charged with no seatbelt and license not in possession.