Trooper Punishes Vermont Man For Exercising His Rights

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I know what you're thinkin' but it's not Gary.

The American Civil Liberties Union has brought a lawsuit against a Vermont police officer who they claim illegally detained a man, towed his car and then charged him a tow fee even after they found no crime was committed.

Vermont State Police Trooper Lewis Hatch pulled over Gregory Zullo on March 6 because he had snow partially obscuring his license plate, which is not a violation in the wintery state. During the traffic stop, Zullo consented to a pat down and even took off his boots to allow Hatch to look inside, but refused to allowed the officer to search his vehicle, the Burlington Free Press reported.

Hatch said he could smell marijuana in the car and said he could see eye drops in the center console. Hatch decided to tow the car away so that he could search it. Zullo asked for a ride home, but was told that it was not Hatch's problem. He was not allowed to retrieve his cell phone or wallet. Zullo was then forced to walk eight miles to his home in freezing temperatures, according to the Times-Argus.

Hatch stated on his search warrant application that the search was needed because Zullo had prior drug charges, though Zullo had never been charged with any drug crimes.

Police found a grinder and pipe with residue. A 2013 Vermont law decriminalized possession of marijuana under one ounce. While he was never charged with a crime, he was billed $150 for tow fees. When Zullo questioned the charge, Hatch blamed the charge on Zullo for exercising his rights.

http://autos.aol.com/article/trooper-punishes-vermont-man-for-exercising-rights/

Edited October 1, 2014 by spookyturtle

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Freedom really isn't free, is it?

[eieio 1,594]

Zullo asked for a ride home, but was told that it was not Hatch's problem. He was not allowed to retrieve his cell phone or wallet. Zullo was then forced to walk eight miles to his home in freezing temperatures,

This is the part that is the most upsetting to me. Zullo seemed to be very cooperative and should have been given his cell phone and wallet along with a ride home or at least made sure he was not out in the elements. It is the right thing to do. It was cold out as the cop kept putting his hands in his pocket. The cop may have followed procedure...but he fails as a good and decent person.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Huh. Nothing. When I was a kid I had to walk 20 miles to school everyday! Kids these days!

[Pooky 3,784]

Huh. Nothing. When I was a kid I had to walk 20 miles to school everyday! Kids these days!

[OriZ 3,157]

That's the problem in places like VT...even the cops get bored.

But beyond the fact that there is more to that story which I will not go into at the moment cause it's irrelevant to my post, you have rogue cops everywhere.

Hell, I found myself in a ditch once(in VT it's pretty much unavoidable at times no matter how supernatural your driving skills are) and filled my license plate with snow. I didn't bother removing it for days and never got pulled over despite the fact I encounter numerous cruisers daily. We also haven't bothered to change our registration sticker which was supposed to be done the end of July, we did renew it it's just not on there yet, it's still in the glove box whoops...now I'm jinxing myself and tomorrow I'll get pulled over for that.

I did have a headlight out once and took me a couple weeks to get it fixed, so in that time I got pulled over for it twice. The first time the cop just let me go after asking me to take care of it. The second time I got a warning and given 15 days to get it taken care of.

Only ticket I received was for going 21 over the limit. So now I keep it at 5-10 over and they're cool with it

However, it sucks that starting tomorrow now even in VT you're not going to be allowed to use handheld devices. Up until now most of the world has implemented that, but in VT it's only going into effect tomorrow. Guess I'll need to start putting my phone on speaker. However, I can still drive without wearing my seatbelt which I sometimes do, only in really short drives, as it is only a secondary offense in VT.

Overall having been here for 15 months and having lived in 3 other locations in my life, I can say most cops in this state are fair and friendly. I also have a buddy who is an important detective in our city and he's cool as well.

And in Burlington they even did this: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2014/09/18/cops-flip-burgers-get-know-neighbors/15854623/

Alright, that was 20 seconds on Vermont from me. I'll leave the rest to Gary.

Edited October 1, 2014 by OriZ

[TBoneTX 45,288]

Never consent to any search, anytime, ever.

[LibCampFireClub 635]

Never consent to any search, anytime, ever.

Agreed!

However, there are too many people who surrender not only this right, but rights to privacy at their doctor, their local hairdresser, the grocery store, drug store, hospital, what have you. No, you don't have to answer all those questions. You have the right to say NO, you don't need to know that. No, I prefer to keep my personal information private.

[Karee 4,190]

I know what you're thinkin' but it's not Gary.

That was the first thing I thought.