Criminal record: Michael Thompson, seen here outside Grimsby Magistrates’ Court, believed he was doing his ‘civic duty’ by alerting drivers on the opposite side of a dual carriageway

A driver has been convicted of a criminal offence for flashing his headlights at oncoming motorists to warn them of a police speed trap ahead.

Michael Thompson, 64, believed he was doing his ‘civic duty’ by alerting drivers on the opposite side of a dual carriageway.

When stopped by a police officer Thompson disagreed with the suggestion that he was ‘perverting the course of justice’ and was then allegedly told: ’I was going to let you off with a caution – but I’m not now.’

Thompson denied wilfully obstructing a policewoman in the execution of her duty on July 21 last year, but was convicted after a trial at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court.

He ended up £440 out of pocket after being fined £175, ordered to pay £250 costs and a £15 victims’ surcharge.

Thompson of Grimsby, north-east Lincolnshire, told the court he was warning motorists for safety reasons.

He said he had been involved in an accident a year ago when two drivers in front of him braked sharply after seeing a speed trap and although he braked in time another motorist crashed into the back of his vehicle.

‘It is not an offence to warn people of a possible speed trap because of the danger involved with vehicles braking quite hard,’ he claimed.

‘It’s a civic duty to warn people. I flashed my lights. I had a very good reason to warn oncoming motorists, in my opinion. My first thought was:”This may cause an accident.”

‘I tried to warn vehicles that there was a speed trap. Because I challenged the officer he would not let me off with a warning.’

Thompson was pulled up as he headed out of Grimsby on the A46 at 10am. He claimed the officer involved was a ‘Rambo character’ who was acting like ‘Judge Dredd’ in using the law unnecessarily. The officer pictured here is using a speed gun on the A130 in Essex

The stretch of road outside of Grimsby where Thompson was pulled over. He denied willfully obstructing a policewoman in the execution of her duty on July 21 last year, but was convicted after a trial and ended up £440 out of pocket.

I have been found NOT-Guilty on all charges.

I am still not at liberty to discuss much more on this site (per my lawyer) until civil matters have been resolved, and I have suspended all posts related to Lakeway. However, for those of you who have been communicating with me directly, or who are past supporters, feel free to email me. I’ll fill you in on what I can.

A little background for those of you who don’t know the recent history of SpeedTrapAhead.org.

As well as running a website that post articles of interest regarding traffic laws, tickets, legal decisions, driving safety, activism, state laws, etc., I also, from time to time, will stand on the side of a road, wearing my “SpeedTrapAhead.org” T-shirt, near where police are running a radar enforced speed zone. (I used to hold a sign, instead; but, that proved to be tricky with state sign laws.)

While doing the sign/shirt thing, I have been approached many times, by officers from several different jurisdictions (three times in Lakeway alone). None of them ever took it further than a quick comment or short discussion about what I was doing. They were actually quite friendly. NONE of them even asked me for I.D.

That is, until Lakeway Sr. Sgt. James DeBrow came around. A little over a year ago, I had an encounter with him. (search “James DeBrow” on this site for more info on that.) But, THAT is old news, and I’ve moved on from that experience.

Fast forward to last week. My truck, with a “SpeedTrapAhead.org” window decal was parked off of a main road in Lakeway, TX. It was parked in an area where construction vehicles and construction employees are parked during some road construction in the area. My truck was parked parallel to the road, behind a silt fence, about 6 feet from the sidewalk, and ~12 feet from the curb. My video camera was on a short tripod, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, filming traffic going by in a school zone.

I, myself, was further down the sidewalk, simply pointing at my t-shirt as cars drove by.

Now comes the video I have of the encounter with police that day. Check it out and let me know what you think. At one point near the end of the video, officer DeBrow uses a word that some of you may not be familiar with — ‘instanter’. That means for something to happen immediately. In this case, it means to take someone before a judge, immediately, to deal with ‘whatever is the case’.

In summary, I was arrested (instantered), placed in handcuffs for 4.5 hours, and spent 7 hours in jail, until I posted $600 bail ($100 for each of six ‘city code sign ordinance’ and zoning violations). AND, they towed/impounded my truck!!

Watch the video and tell me what y’all think about ANY aspect of the whole ordeal.

On the YouTube page, you can blow it up to full screen. But, please return to my webpage if you’d like to read or post comments. (If comments are not visible, click on the TITLE of the post to see comments.)

UPDATE: The Pre-Trial hearing has been postponed until September 11, 2009. I finally got copies of the complaints filed to the court. Only four instead of the original six; but, they all reference a city sign ordinance that was modified AFTER I received my tickets. Seems that the sign ordinance was amended to include (among other things) a prohibition against WEARING signs. Interesting. My lawyer is working on getting that mess clarified.

UPDATE: See THIS link.

]]> http://speedtrapahead.org/wordpress/2009/04/23/speedtrapaheadorg-guy-is-arrested/feed/ 33 http://speedtrapahead.org/wordpress/2008/11/09/hasty-driver-backs-over-police-car-after-ticket/ http://speedtrapahead.org/wordpress/2008/11/09/hasty-driver-backs-over-police-car-after-ticket/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:09:59 +0000 admin http://speedtrapahead.org/wordpress/?p=321 This is just plain funny!  –  A man who had been pulled over and ticketed by police ran backward up and onto a Buffalo Grove squad car, apparently in his haste to drive off.

Henry Raskin, 70, of Niles had been pulled over by a Buffalo Grove (Illinois) officer on the 400 block of Dundee Road around 11:30 a.m. Friday for driving 58 mph in a 35 mph zone, Sgt. Scott Kristiansen said. The officer wrote the ticket and returned to the car, and Raskin got ready to drive away. Except he went flying backward.

“(He) apparently was going to pull away at a high rate of speed, but the only problem was that he was in reverse,” Kristiansen said. He said Raskin was not happy about getting a ticket. He said police are reviewing the squad car videotape to see what Raskin might also be charged with.

Raskin was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights as a precaution. Kristiansen said police don’t believe Raskin has any medical conditions that could have led to the crash. Raskin’s age also didn’t seem to play a factor, he said. The officer, a 20-year veteran of the Buffalo Grove department, was not injured, but his car will be out of service for a while. “He ended up with the left rear wheel of the car coming through his windshield, about 6 inches from his face,” Kristiansen said. “Luckily, he was not injured.” The squad car suffered significant damage to the front end, including the windshield and the hood.

Kristiansen said the police investigation so far shows the officer initiated the traffic stop properly. He said officers are trained to treat every stop as if it isn’t a routine procedure so that they are aware when unexpected circumstances like this one take place. “The officer stopped the car properly and positioned himself properly,” he said.

Felton McCant Jr., 59, of Moultrie said he got a call from doctors on May 12 saying that a kidney had become available for his son. Time was of the essence because McCant was called only after the initial recipient was found to be too weak for surgery, said Dr. John Whelchel, head of transplantation at Piedmont Hospital. If the McCants could get to Atlanta quickly, the medical staff said, the kidney would be his.

McCant’s son, Felton McCant III, had been on the waiting list for a kidney after suffering a stroke, having his kidneys shut down and being partly paralyzed on his left side. So father McCant, who’s a veteran truck driver, called his local sheriff’s office in Colquitt County and asked what to do. They told him to turn on his headlights and hazard lights and if he was pulled over, to tell the officer what he was doing and he would have no problem. (That makes extraordinarily perfect sense!) With his ailing son in the back seat of their Cadillac Deville, McCant drove north from Moultrie up I-75.

When he got to Monroe County, McCant was pulled over by deputy Tommy Herndon of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Herndon clocked him traveling 90 mph in a 65 mph.

McCant, who hadn’t had a speeding ticket since the 1960s, explained why he was speeding. He said Herndon responded that the first thing McCant was going to do was turn his hazard lights off, then proceeded to write him a speeding ticket.

Meanwhile, doctors couldn’t reach McCant on his cell phone and had to give the kidney to another patient.

Whelchel wrote the probate office, which adjudicates speeding tickets, explaining why McCant was speeding. And the Colquitt County sheriff wrote a letter as well. In turn, solicitor Kristi Rowell of the Monroe County Probate Court offered to drop the speeding ticket to 79 mph so it wouldn’t appear on McCant’s record, with a fine of $280. McCant accepted the plea agreement and paid his fine.

Rowell said she gave McCant a break by reducing the speed.

But Whelchel disagreed, and wrote Rowell and the Reporter to say so.

“I sincerely hope that if you are ever in a similar situation, those ruling on your case will have more compassion than your department did for McCant,” wrote Whelchel.

Whelchel said transplant patients often have to rush to the hospital when an organ becomes available because organs don’t live very long outside the body. He’s had other patients stopped, but usually they are allowed to continue once the situation is explained. In fact, some officers escort the patients toward their destination, said Whelchel.

Sheriff John Cary Bittick said he has to support his deputies and that since the case has gone through the court system, there’s not much he can do about it.

The Reporter has set up an account at Monroe County Bank for the McCants with hopes that Reporter readers will help the family recover the costs of the $280 speeding ticket. The Reporter pitched in $25 and Bittick donated another $25. As of this writing, the fund exceeds $300.

Still, Rowell said she takes issue with Whelchel’s claim that her office lacks compassion.

As for McCant, he said he’s just happy that his son was able to get another kidney three days later. He said his truck route has taken him through Monroe County twice a day for 39 years, and he has respect for local authorities. “I figured he was doing his job,” said McCant. “I’m not mad at anybody.”

McCant allowed that he was hoping for a little leniency given the circumstances, but said none was coming.

“I didn’t get mercy that particular day,” said McCant, laughing. “But my son’s health is worth more than $280. I have no hard feelings. I’ve still got joy.”

There was dinner, dessert, drinks, and…

Pizza!

…compliments of the Lakeway Papa John’s.

Seems a few of the drivers there had seen me on the road with my sign;
and, I guess this was their way of saying “Thanks!”

Of course, the “STA” is for “Speed Trap Ahead”!

Thanks Papa John’s!

Axe attack in Victoria, Australia leaves speed camera vehicle with smashed door and window.

A forty-year-old speed camera operator in Victoria, Australia was frightened yesterday by a man armed with an ax. The operator parked on Wedge Road in Carrum Downs at around 7:30pm. After turning on the camera, he relaxed in the passenger’s seat as the automated machinery proceeded to generate citations ready for mailing to the owners of passing vehicles.

At 10:30pm, the operator was startled by the sight of an ax shattering the driver’s side window of his vehicle. The axman poked his ax toward the operator a few times before leaving the scene. The operator was unharmed, only suffering a slight cut to his finger from glass shards. The speed camera car’s door suffered extensive damage.

Police are now looking for the axman, described as 5 foot 10 inches tall wearing a dark jacket, dark pants and a beanie. A police dog’s search of the area failed to turn up evidence of the axman’s whereabouts, but it did succeed in uncovering an elderly man’s marijuana growing operation.

The youngster, who used to shout at speeders to slow down as they drove through the Stone Lakes subdivision in Louisville, now has taken matters into his own hands.

Dressed in a reflective vest, wearing a bicycle helmet and armed with an orange Hot Wheels brand radar gun, he points and records the actual speed of passing traffic.

Landon also carries a flashlight with a built-in siren.

“When I saw it happening, I got the biggest kick out of it,” said resident George Ayers, 61. “People were locking up their brakes when they saw him.”

Many in the subdivision are frustrated that motorists tear through the neighborhood at 55 mph despite signs posting a 25 mph limit.

Officials said the city will install speed humps in the neighborhood if 70 percent of residents agree and are willing to put up half the money.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

You know, when I first got this ticket, I thought, “It’ll never fly!” How could they be issuing a ticket under that statute for holding a homemade cardboard sign. That part of the law is really meant to keep people from erecting their own signs that are meant to appear as a real traffic sign. For instance, the farmer who made and installed fake speed limit signs on the road by his farm. And, this sign — another example of what the law was intended to prevent.

But, when I’m being a little defiant (okay, a lot), and the cop is being… well, a COP… You can expect that things are going to get a little hairy. Ask me a question, then interrupt me mid-sentence to demand identification… Well, That’s just rude. Be rude, and expect others to treat you accordingly.

Anyway, there’s not much to say about the outcome, except that there ARE some plain and simple facts that I would like to make known about the whole thing:

The court found me guilty of violating a Texas statute;

The judge will let the prosecutor play a video and make comments and pose questions throughout; but, he won’t let the defense replay portions of the same video during cross examination;

The slower Officer DeBrow draws a sketch, the more overtime everyone gets paid;

Witnesses can outright LIE so long as the jury doesn’t know otherwise (and it’s hard to disprove some things when the judge won’t allow you to replay part of a video);

The bailiff can take catnaps while the jury deliberates;

I need more practice at being my own lawyer;

AND,

The “Thin Blue Line” DOES exist!

So, all in all, everything’s cool now. The jury cut my fine by 65%! (Because I requested the jury determine the fine amount, not the judge.) There WERE additional costs associated with the jury trial. Overall, I paid more than if I’d just rolled over and taken it. But it was worth it. I got to participate in the system — something far too few people take advantage of. And, I learned alot along the way. The main thing being: I need to redesign my sign. I’ve got some good ideas already. Obviously, it’s gotta be something that doesn’t even come close to resembling a traffic sign. Easy enough — How about the profile of a police car, with “Speed Trap Ahead.org” all in one line down the side of the car?

I’ve always found that “You almost never get PAID for learning something; You seldom learn something for FREE; and, There is usually a cost, of some sort, associated with learning.” I don’t mind paying for my education. In fact, I consider the price I paid for the multitude of things I learned to be quite a deal!

I wonder what new things I’ll learn from my next encounter?

Be careful out there! Drive safely; and, Pay attention to your surroundings.

I went to the arraignment a couple of weeks ago. The prosecutor stated that he didn’t really know what the ticket was about. But then I started explaining about SpeedTrapAhead.org… then he suddenly knew what was going on. Obviously, there had been discussion of my sign holding prior to that day.

He asked what I thought should happen. I said, “I think it should be dismissed because…” He then interrupted with, “Well, That’s not gonna happen.”

“Well, then sign me up for a jury trial“, I said. And that’s where we’re at. I have a a pre-trial hearing on June 13th.

I really don’t think that this will actually go to trial. I think this is just a delay tactic to give me a little time to “get scared” and bargain my rights away. Now, I can say, “Well, That’s not gonna happen.”

The prosecutor doesn’t want to drop it because that’ll put out the message that it was a bogus ticket and it’s okay to hold my sign. On the other hand, if it goes to trial and I win, a precedent will be set saying that it’s absolutely not against the law to hold my sign. Either way is okay, as either ruling will have basically the same effect. There is NO WAY Joe Citizen would think my sign is an official traffic control device.

Anyway, I’m just waiting, and getting my stuff together.

UPDATE: Jury Trial is set for July 11, 21008, at 1:00 p.m.

Any clicks on AdSense ads in the right column that may be of interest to you would be appreciated.

Also, Please check out THIS video of a PLEASANT encounter with a rational LEO.