Sovereign Citizen Resists Traffic Stop Arrest As A 'Free Citizen On A Free Highway'

[one...two...tree 2,762]

A sovereign citizen in Virginia was arrested and charged with five misdemeanors after a bizarre encounter with a state police officer where he called himself a "free citizen on a free highway" and gave multiple fake names.

Michael Creath Jones, 31, was pulled over last week by State Trooper T.M. Simmons because he had a fake painted license plate with the words "Virginia" and "private use" handwritten on it.

The News Virginian reports that according to the search warrant affidavit:

Jones locked his doors and barely cracked open his window and refused to identify himself. He told Simmons he was a "free citizen on a free highway" and provided different names. The trooper asked for identification at least 10 times.

Jones also said he did not have to provide a driver's license, and only got out of the car when Simmons threatened to arrest him and break the car window. Jones struggled when Simmons tried to handcuff him. He was later charged with "resisting arrest, obstruction of justice with force, driving without a license, having an expired inspection sticker and defective equipment," Staunton's News-Leader reports.

Simmons said he found documents relating to the sovereign citizens movement and their activities in the trunk of the car, as well as a Geiger counter, according to the News-Leader.

Sovereign citizens are a loosely organized anti-government group who believe all forms of government and laws are illegitimate. Some sovereign citizens, when confronted with law enforcement have become violent, while others have sought revenge through "paper terrorism," like several in New York who were recently convicted of mail fraud.

http://tpmmuckraker....ree_highway.php

Edited May 19, 2011 by 8TBVBN

[^_^ 5,021]

Free highway? Go build your own, muthafucka, this one belongs to the taxpayer.

[Robert&Liliya 31]

I see that worked out well for him. Enjoy that free bologna sandwich that comes with your free citizen tag.

[Zero Sum 305]

WINNING!

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Sovereign Citizens: Anti-Government Group Files Liens, Some Embrace Violence (VIDEO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/sovereign-citizens-anti-government-liens_n_863749.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2|64172

The FBI considers them one of the nation’s top domestic terror threats. Their members include cop killers and a convicted Oklahoma City bomber. They call themselves “sovereign citizens,” and have taken various measures to fight the U.S. government. But now, the government is fighting back.

Sovereign citizens are a loosely organized group of people who claim they are not subject to government laws. Estimates suggest there are as many as 300,000 sovereign citizens in the U.S. Sovereign citizens have been known to oppose taxes, file liens against public officials, sign documents with a red thumbprint, and use homemade license plates.

Some sovereign citizens focus on the role of government, a relatable, much-debated issue in the U.S. Alfred Adask told “60 Minutes,”"I think the government has gone far beyond its Constitutional limits.” The problem is where they draw the line. Adask once said, “We have the right to keep and bear arms in order to shoot our own politicians." The violence used by some sovereign citizens is cause for serious concern.

“60 Minutes” recently reported on Jerry Kane Jr. and his 16-year-old son, Joe. A divorced, out-of-work truck driver, Kane and his son began pushing a debt reduction scam around the country. At one seminar, Kane spoke out against members of authority, saying, “I don't want to have to kill anybody. But if they keep messing with me, that's what it's going to have to come out, that's what it's going to come down to is I'm gonna have to kill. And if I have to kill one, then I'm not going to be able to stop.”

On May 20, 2010, Kane and his son were pulled over on a highway by police officers. A dashboard camera shows that his son then shot and killed both officers. “60 Minutes” reports that the men were hit with a collective 25 bullets. One of the dead officers was Sgt. Brandon Paudert, West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert’s son.

Following his son’s death, Chief Paudert has become fixated on sovereign citizens. Paudert told "60 Minutes" correspondent Byron Pitts, "They're willing to die for what they believe in. These international terrorists that bombed the twin towers, they were willing to die for their beliefs. The sovereign citizens, the Kanes, are the exact same thing." Since the shooting, Paudert has traveled the country, educating law enforcement officers on sovereign citizens.

Some actions are now being taken against sovereign citizens. The News Virginian reports that sovereign citizen Michael Creath Jones, 31, was arrested and charged with five misdemeanors last week after a state police officer pulled the man over for having a fake painted license plate. Jones allegedly locked his doors, refused to identify himself, and later resisted arrest.

Also last week, a sovereign citizen was sentenced to 21 months in prison after filing hundreds of financial liens against government officials, The Associated Press reports. Ed George Parenteau, 53, said he was trying to fight municipal corruption, but apologized and agreed to cooperate with authorities.

The act of filing liens against government officials as retribution has been dubbed “paper terrorism,” which can ruin a target’s credit, reports “60 Minutes.” Robert Vosper, a small-town justice reports, "I have liens against me in three states in this country for a half a billion dollars."

Whether it’s paper or physical attacks, "60 Minutes” reports that there has been a noticed increase in sovereign citizen-related violence against police and judges. In light of recent arrests and the actions of men like Chief Paudert, it seems the targets may now be fighting back.

[웃 910]

Meet the hard core right

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

He was later charged with "resisting arrest, obstruction of justice with force, driving without a license, having an expired inspection sticker and defective equipment,"

i guess viagra doesn't exist in his world either.

[^_^ 5,021]

i guess viagra doesn't exist in his world either.

you are strange

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

you are strange

of course, that's why we're friends.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Free highway? Go build your own, muthafucka, this one belongs to the taxpayer.

[slim 1,525]

I've read somewhere about folks who claim federal roads (national highways, interstates, etc.) belong to all of us and they're not subject to state prohibitions on use like driver's licenses, license plates, etc. They claim because they pay federal taxes, they're exempt from state laws.

I've also heard about folks who claim to be "travelers" and therefore not subject to laws restricting "drivers" since they're not participating in commercial activities and the government has no right to restrict your travels.

Regardless of personal (or group) beliefs, the one thing that's certain is if you fight the law... the law wins.