My Poor Momma in Law!

G

George Hill

Staff Alumnus
I want to talk about some gripes I have right now. You see, my beloved Mother-In-Law... had a run in with the law.
She lives in Vernal, Utah. Out in the middle of nowhere. Vernal is a small city. Everyone knows everyone. Town, really.
She is a pillar in her community. She is well respected by everyone and everyone knows her. She is a Good person. She operated the citys only Ballet company and also operates the only live theater. All the Vernal kids go to her to learn how to dance and to take acting to the next step. She helps all the High School productions in conjunction with the schools drama teacher.
One day she went to the bank... only about 4 blocks from her home.
She was excited about a check she had to cash and was eager to get about some shopping.
She didn't realize she was being followed. She pulls up to the bank teller in the drive through and hands the teller her check. Then discovers she is surrounded by police officers. The are more than excited and question her like a war prisoner. She was treated very badly. She was ticketed for an expired registration. Okay, More on that later.
She was also ticketed for a Cracked Windshield. WTF? If a Safety inspection is required - and she is due to get it... Why ticket her for something so chicken ****? Then after 4 more piss-ant tickets - they decide to IMPOUND her van.
The had her park on mainstreet - where everyone knows her and then they yell at her for an extended period of time. When they called for the tow truck, they specifically ordered the truck's lights to be flashing.
She suffered humiliation galore.
She was hit with 500 dollars in fees, and a 500 dollar fine.
Now, just today... because she was a few days late paying her fine - a police officer comes to the house and ARRESTS HER!
She had no less that 30 guests in her home. (All realators looking at the house she is selling) No sale happened as a result - they all of course left asap.
This cop has a hisory of being the worlds biggest ass. He strides inside as if he was god on high and announces the arrest.
She was also given another 500 dollar fine.

I am so angry.
I am so glad that I was not there.
I would have taken this to a physical level.
I am so angry.

We do not have the cash to help her. She does not have the cash to pay the fines.
Dad-in-law's truck was broken into - all his power tools for his construction work was stolen - the theaters sound system was stolen - and yet the police did nothing about that... BUT WOW! You owe the city some cash - WATCH OUT!

I am about to go CRITICAL MASS over here.
I can not type well as I am shaking in fury. I can't think straight.

Council me dear Members...
What are the legal options?
 
Man alive, George! I cannot counsel as to the legalities. I can only suggest you go to the local paper, or to the next largest town's paper. If this guy is as big a jerk as he sounds, maybe a little local support will come your way.

Sorry to hear of your MIL's troubles.

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"Any world that I'm welcome to.....Is better than the one I come from"
 
First off my sincerest, sincerest condolences for this outrage upon your dear relative. I wish I had some $$$ to help, as it stands I do not, to my regret.

I'm not a legal expert, but I see several options:

(1) Gather as many witnesses as possible to the events in question. List all the character witnesses you can find. Substantiate the stories, make timelines, get an airtight sequence of events in a presentable format.

(2) Gather names for a petition. Mobilize parents, whoever possible and go straight to the mayor (whom I suspect is a deadbeat, but try anyways.) This sounds like a case that a politician would love to be part of so close to election time. I'd give the Governor's Office a call.

(3) This might make you physically sick, but try the ACLU. Financing a lengthy civil suit against that pathetic Nazi outpost that serves as the police over there might be prohibitive. "Enemy of my enemy is ..." along that vein try http://www.aclu.org/community/utah/ut.html

This is all I can rack my thoughts for ... fellow TFLers I am sure will post more.

[This message has been edited by dragontooth73 (edited November 02, 2000).]
 
Well first things first, you didn't kill anybody and thats a good thing.

Just kidding George, that sucks. I have no experience with the cops in Vernal but they sound like complete morons. I'm thinking Tatters hit it, contact the papers. Make these guys look like buffoons.

I got fired once for reporting my bosses illegal activities, I was mad, so I called News for Utah, the Tribune, and the Deseret News. It made all of them, and put them right out of business. You could try that.

Play up the good citizen angle, Utahns are very prestige conscious, especially in small towns.

Give me a call if I can help out.
 
I agree. A good PR plan can make enough sympathy to have an effect.

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You have to be there when it's all over. Otherwise you can't say "I told you so."

Better days to be,

Ed
 
Thanks guys - No, I'm not asking for money.
I'll sell more guns before I ask for donations.
The moral support and words of wisdom are priceless.

This is far from over. Vernal City will feel this.
 
Wow man, that takes a lot of restraint, I would have a hard time controlling myself in that situation. What a candy ass police department !!! Shaking down and arresting Grandmas ??!! Send them to my neighborhood here in L.A. and let them realize how good they have it in "Vernal" Utah. Pussies. :mad:

On a side note, could their be ulterior reasons for her arrest ? A competing real estate agent who has sway at the police department ?

[This message has been edited by MTAA (edited November 02, 2000).]
 
My guess is someone on that watch had a rough night and in sympathy, they wanted to take it out on someone. What pettiness.
 
George, I take it that this is more than a one horse (cop) town? "she was surrounded". In the state she lives in, there is a organization that basically is responsible for policing the police. It may be the state police, or that states "bureau of investigation", or something like that. I'd give them a call about the inproprieties (did I spell that right?) of the situation. Has she actually seen a judge? If not, tell her to fight the tickets that are unfair. Unfortunately, in a traffic stop where the cop gets a case of the red a$$, alot more tickets will be issued, and even though most are petty, they're valid citations. Good luck with this and GET HER OUT OF THERE!!!

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"Charlton Heston is my President"

Danny45
NRA, NAHC, Buckmasters
 
George, I'm greatly distressed.

Just a thought: in contacting the media, remember that Friday is "open-phone Friday" on the Doug Wright show on KSL 1160 AM. The 'open-phone' part of the show is from 10-12 in the morning. If you've never called that show . . . the gal answering the phone does ask what you're planning to talk about. I don't know if she rejects callers; the maybe 4 times I've called she didn't reject me. Call right at 10 am and you'll probably get through, wait and the phone lines will clog with others. Be prepared to be on hold for a while, they will run commercials and 1/2 hour news as scheduled. I've been on hold for 20 minutes--but did eventually get to make my point on the air. http://www.ksl.com/radio/talk/doug.html Phone numbers at the bottom of that web page.

I hope you see justice done. Keep us posted. Let us know if we can help, especially fellow Utahns.

--Denise
 
Good ideas! Go to the media and use them, newspapers(letter to the editor), talk radio, heck call a reporter and get your mom interviewed for a story, local civil rights organizations, etc. Go after these as$holes and don't forgive them, don't have your mom accept an apology if offered (unlikely). If you let this go they will continue to do it.

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"Gun Control is Only to Protect Those in Power"
 
It has become to the point where we worry more about the cops then the criminals and I have noticed that there is a mass exodus of good cops quitting because they can't take the BS anymore lately. Really disgusting, I wish you all the best of luck, not much else to say but sorry for your experience.
 
Thanks guys - Some Very good ideas.

My Mommainlaw was in the wrong... I'm not saying she wasnt. Yes - a ticket for registration was warranted. But this goes a little deeper.
The senario is this - She gets a ticket... She can't pay it... SO THEY COME GET HER AND TAKE HER TO JAIL. Every chance they get they verbally beat her down in public, and in front of her friends...
They are totally making a criminal out of her.
This is a Robin Hood senario... The Sheriffs of Nottingham and the Judge is Prince John.
I myself was pulled over for 2 MPH over on the highway just outside of Vernal. Had I not argued the matter the Officer was all set to give me a ticket - he was expecting me to roll over and take it.
Seems they like defenseless prey.

I just found out that my Momma in law told the arresting officer as he was taking her in, "I wish my son in law was here to beat the crap out of you."

Guys - I am not against police officers.
I am against the police officers and courts in Vernal. They are so petty - they are jack booted thugs that have nothing better to do than to pick on people and harrase the town. The Good old boy system is in FULL EFFECT and there is no justice unless your ONE of THEM.
My brother in law had a gun pointed at him at one point because he was out camping and this cop wanted to CHECK THINGS OUT. My bro is no threat - He's the kinda guy that all the fathers want there daughters to find. GOOD GUY.
Vernal can go to hell - oh - wait - it already is. There are way too many police in that little town.
Some back ground on the town:
Its in the Uinta Basin. Two counties in the basin... Lets count all the LEO Agencies:
1. Vernal City Police
2. Naples City Police
3. Roosevelt City Police
4. State Police
5. Uinta County Sheriffs
6. Duchesne County Sheriffs
7. Ute Tribal Police
8. BLM LEO
9. National Park Service LEO Rangers
10. Forest Service LEO Rangers
11. Fish and Game LEOs
12. FBI

Thats a DOZEN AGENCIES in a small area. All having shared jurisdiction in the Basin. (Okay - not the FBI - but they are there too)
This is how you get TONS of very bored officers who have NOTHING BETTER TO DO that be dicks. All TRYING to fill quotas.
Driving around Vernal, do so Slowly and Cleanly... You will see more police per capita than any other place I have ever seen.
Several times I have literaly seen a unit on every corner of every main street.
The courts are nothing more than a source of income for the city or county. They hit you with inflated fines and fees all over the place. Almost 200 bucks for towing? 2 blocks?
You guys want to see what East Germany was like before the wall fell? Go to Vernal.
 
LEOs,

Isn't there a federal law (it might be a Texas state law) that puts a limit on the dollar amount of traffic fines that can make up a law enforcement organization's budget?

That law was used to shut down a local speed trap on IH-35. Selma was using IH-35 traffic tickets to replace higher taxes until some authority stepped in.
-----

George,

Go after the elected officials if you live in the area. Heck, run for office on a ticket of abolishing corruption. Get some pink-faced 19 y/o "journalist" to expose the problems of corruption, favoritism, personal vendettas, etc.

If the local cops are treating you Mom-in-law this way, it may be a trend which you can document, expose, and use to fight back.

Good luck, amigo.
 
Every newspaper in Utah has been sent the story.

Lets see if that does any good.
Now I will work on TV News and Radio.

I think I'll even get a BILL BOARD for the Hwy some place Vernal to Roosevelt...

I'm just getting warmed up.
Lets Rock...
 
George,
THis guy sounds like a real steaming lump of defacation and I AM SURE HE HAS TREATED MANY OTHER PEOPLE THIS WAY AS WELL. A little PR may bring complaints out of the woodwork... hopefully enough to get rid of his sorry keister.
Luck

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Those who use arms well cultivate the Way and keep the rules.Thus they can govern in such a way as to prevail over the corrupt- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
 
George, remember "......let there be jehad!" Not physical but thru the press and air waves.

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"If there be treachery, let there be jihad."
Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
 
This just in:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I called mom, she said that dad was at police headquarters doing something and some pictures came in. It was a home that had bullet holes all over the walls and everything. Anyway, as dad listened and got a glimpse of the pictures, it was the "dog catchers" wife so irrate with him ,I guess she pulled a gun on him and told him to get out she couldn't stand to look at him and actually fired bullets around and at him. Too bad she wasn't a better shot, or didn't want to take the consequences for actually shooting him. This story made us happy. Apparantly this officers only job is to go to people's homes and arrest them. Mom says it is over and done with she doesn't want publicity. The little girls are so insecure, they won't let mom go anywhere without them - even to take garbage out or run get something out of the car. They are traumatized and moms trying to make things normal as possible for them with the house sale and everything.[/quote]

Looks like its over. We will let this issue die for now.
Until I come across this fellow.
A little history - this guy was the city's Dog Catcher... We had a very nice dog named Iger. The Dog Catcher kept on and kept on about Iger because Iger could jump the fence and would like to do things happy dogs do. (Even if Iger NEVER harmed or harrased anyone) SO one day the guy comes into the yard and hooks up Iger and drags it off to be destroyed. The mentioned little girls watching and screaming and crying that the mean man is taking away the dog to kill it.
We don't like this man. This man IS indeed THE ENEMY.
One day, he WILL get what's coming to him.
 
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