Yup........I sure get tired of hearing about these Goddamn Bullies
with Badges..........

"Storm Chaser Arrested

Posted: May 7, 2008 05:25 PM PDT

Updated: May 8, 2008 08:08 AM PDT

by Victor Lopez
NewsWest 9

CRANE COUNTY--Chasing storms is what Brian Barnes does for a living.
And it was while he was doing just that, that he says he found himself
in a difficult and strange situation involving a Crane County
Sheriff's Deputy. Barnes was out on Tuesday in Crane County as severe
weather moved across the region. Crane County was under a tornado
warning for about an hour Tuesday night.

"I told him that I was helping out the National Weather Service in San
Angelo, and they were relaying my reports to Midland. He told me he
didn't care, and that I needed to go."

Barnes thought it was his obligation to stay put and follow the
storms, a decision that landed him in jail.

"He jumped out and put me in handcuffs. I turned around and I
remember him slamming me up against his vehicle, and then it all got
kind of scary."

Among the witnesses was Dennis Greer, who had a similar run-in, with
the same deputy, just minutes earlier while he was shooting picutures
of the same storm for the local newspaper.

"His first words to me were, 'are you a blankety-blank idiot?' He
told me if I didn't leave, I was going to jail, flat out," Greer
said.

Barnes was arrested at a road side park on Highway 385 and charged
with obstruction of a highway or other passage way.

According to witnesses, there is plenty of room on on the road in
front of the park for a vehicle to get by. That's why they are
questioning the validity of the charge.

Dennis Greer says, "The guy wasn't blocking anything. He was able to
drive a full size truck by with no problem."

In addition to the charges, people were taken aback by the deputy's
attitude.

"He came down there, and was just very abusive in his language. Never
once did he state to me why he would arrest me, or why he was doing
anything", Greer says.

Barnes adds, "He continued to say that I was the example why people
were stopping and that I was putting those other people at risk,
because they were stopping behind me."

Barnes says that during his years of storm chasing, this is the first
time anything like this has ever happened to him. And despite this
one incident, he has good things to say, about West Texas.

"I have to say that everytime I come to West Texas, the people here
are outstanding. They are the most friendly people I've ever met," he
said.

Barnes was released on a $2,000 bond. He plans to hire a Dallas
attorney to handle his case.

Calls to the Crane County Sheriff's Office for comment were not
returned. "

"Screen Ranger" <ScreenRanger100 at (no spam) aol.com> wrote in message
news:2946806a-9c56-46ba-8d6f-0dadb4f8df0c at (no spam) w4g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
Yup........I sure get tired of hearing about these Goddamn Bullies
with Badges..........

"Storm Chaser Arrested

Posted: May 7, 2008 05:25 PM PDT

Updated: May 8, 2008 08:08 AM PDT

by Victor Lopez
NewsWest 9

CRANE COUNTY--Chasing storms is what Brian Barnes does for a living.
And it was while he was doing just that, that he says he found himself
in a difficult and strange situation involving a Crane County
Sheriff's Deputy. Barnes was out on Tuesday in Crane County as severe
weather moved across the region. Crane County was under a tornado
warning for about an hour Tuesday night.

"I told him that I was helping out the National Weather Service in San
Angelo, and they were relaying my reports to Midland. He told me he
didn't care, and that I needed to go."

Barnes thought it was his obligation to stay put and follow the
storms, a decision that landed him in jail.

"He jumped out and put me in handcuffs. I turned around and I
remember him slamming me up against his vehicle, and then it all got
kind of scary."

Among the witnesses was Dennis Greer, who had a similar run-in, with
the same deputy, just minutes earlier while he was shooting picutures
of the same storm for the local newspaper.

"His first words to me were, 'are you a blankety-blank idiot?' He
told me if I didn't leave, I was going to jail, flat out," Greer
said.

Barnes was arrested at a road side park on Highway 385 and charged
with obstruction of a highway or other passage way.

According to witnesses, there is plenty of room on on the road in
front of the park for a vehicle to get by. That's why they are
questioning the validity of the charge.

Dennis Greer says, "The guy wasn't blocking anything. He was able to
drive a full size truck by with no problem."

In addition to the charges, people were taken aback by the deputy's
attitude.

"He came down there, and was just very abusive in his language. Never
once did he state to me why he would arrest me, or why he was doing
anything", Greer says.

Barnes adds, "He continued to say that I was the example why people
were stopping and that I was putting those other people at risk,
because they were stopping behind me."

Barnes says that during his years of storm chasing, this is the first
time anything like this has ever happened to him. And despite this
one incident, he has good things to say, about West Texas.

"I have to say that everytime I come to West Texas, the people here
are outstanding. They are the most friendly people I've ever met," he
said.

Barnes was released on a $2,000 bond. He plans to hire a Dallas
attorney to handle his case.

Calls to the Crane County Sheriff's Office for comment were not
returned. "



I advise that we all get Tasers or other weapons to protect ourselves
from these rogue law enforcement officials. He should have been tased
and handcuffed for his own safety.

Eric B. wrote:
"Screen Ranger" <ScreenRanger... at (no spam) aol.com> wrote in message
news:2946806a-9c56-46ba-8d6f-0dadb4f8df0c at (no spam) w4g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
Yup........I sure get tired of hearing about these Goddamn Bullies
with Badges..........

"Storm Chaser Arrested

Posted: May 7, 2008 05:25 PM PDT

Updated: May 8, 2008 08:08 AM PDT

by Victor Lopez
NewsWest 9

CRANE COUNTY--Chasing storms is what Brian Barnes does for a living.
And it was while he was doing just that, that he says he found himself
in a difficult and strange situation involving a Crane County
Sheriff's Deputy. Barnes was out on Tuesday in Crane County as severe
weather moved across the region. Crane County was under a tornado
warning for about an hour Tuesday night.

"I told him that I was helping out the National Weather Service in San
Angelo, and they were relaying my reports to Midland.  He told me he
didn't care, and that I needed to go."

Barnes thought it was his obligation to stay put and follow the
storms, a decision that landed him in jail.

"He jumped out and put me in handcuffs.  I turned around and I
remember him slamming me up against his vehicle, and then it all got
kind of scary."

Among the witnesses was Dennis Greer, who had a similar run-in, with
the same deputy, just minutes earlier while he was shooting picutures
of the same storm for the local newspaper.

"His first words to me were, 'are you a blankety-blank idiot?'  He
told me if I didn't leave, I was going to jail, flat out," Greer
said.

Barnes was arrested at a road side park on Highway 385 and charged
with obstruction of a highway or other passage way.

According to witnesses, there is plenty of room on on the road in
front of the park for a vehicle to get by.  That's why they are
questioning the validity of the charge.

Dennis Greer says, "The guy wasn't blocking anything.  He was able to
drive a full size truck by with no problem."

In addition to the charges, people were taken aback by the deputy's
attitude.

"He came down there, and was just very abusive in his language. Never
once did he state to me why he would arrest me, or why he was doing
anything", Greer says.

Barnes adds, "He continued to say that I was the example why people
were stopping and that I was putting those other people at risk,
because they were stopping behind me."

Barnes says that during his years of storm chasing, this is the first
time anything like this has ever happened to him.  And despite this
one incident, he has good things to say, about West Texas.

"I have to say that everytime I come to West Texas, the people here
are outstanding.  They are the most friendly people I've ever met," he
said.

Barnes was released on a $2,000 bond.  He plans to hire a Dallas
attorney to handle his case.

Calls to the Crane County Sheriff's Office for comment were not
returned. "

I advise that we all get Tasers or other weapons to protect ourselves
from these rogue law enforcement officials. He should have been tased
and handcuffed for his own safety.

your ignorance truly is amazing.  For one moment, at least /act
/intelligent.  I am no fan of cops either (they work hand in hand with
whoever has the power).  But they do deserve at least fair
consideration: they do a job you wouldn't do.

It was a narrow road, being used by lots of cars and trucks to flee a
destructive TORNADO.  Tornadoes come up suddenly; they give little
reaction time.  And several fools obviously were blocking the evacuation
route.  Funny thing that the only witness to this "police powerplay" was
a photographer who was also blocking the escape route of the narrow
road.  The cop's instructions were to ensure the free flow of people
away from the storm, to protect even the two idiots that were sitting in
the storm's path.  Got news for you.  Legitimate weather service storm
chasers have ID identifying them as such--on their vehicles, on their
persons: untrained wannabes need not apply.

--
"Sarah, if the American people had ever known the truth about what we Bushes have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched."
--- George Herbert Walker Bush, in an interview with Sarah McClendon, 1992- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On May 10, 11:14 am, gringo <gri... at (no spam) nospam.net> wrote:
Eric B. wrote:
"Screen Ranger" <ScreenRanger... at (no spam) aol.com> wrote in message
news:2946806a-9c56-46ba-8d6f-0dadb4f8df0c at (no spam) w4g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
Yup........I sure get tired of hearing about these Goddamn Bullies
with Badges..........
"Storm Chaser Arrested
Posted: May 7, 2008 05:25 PM PDT
Updated: May 8, 2008 08:08 AM PDT
by Victor Lopez
NewsWest 9
CRANE COUNTY--Chasing storms is what Brian Barnes does for a living.
And it was while he was doing just that, that he says he found himself
in a difficult and strange situation involving a Crane County
Sheriff's Deputy. Barnes was out on Tuesday in Crane County as severe
weather moved across the region. Crane County was under a tornado
warning for about an hour Tuesday night.
"I told him that I was helping out the National Weather Service in San
Angelo, and they were relaying my reports to Midland. He told me he
didn't care, and that I needed to go."
Barnes thought it was his obligation to stay put and follow the
storms, a decision that landed him in jail.
"He jumped out and put me in handcuffs. I turned around and I
remember him slamming me up against his vehicle, and then it all got
kind of scary."
Among the witnesses was Dennis Greer, who had a similar run-in, with
the same deputy, just minutes earlier while he was shooting picutures
of the same storm for the local newspaper.
"His first words to me were, 'are you a blankety-blank idiot?' He
told me if I didn't leave, I was going to jail, flat out," Greer
said.
Barnes was arrested at a road side park on Highway 385 and charged
with obstruction of a highway or other passage way.
According to witnesses, there is plenty of room on on the road in
front of the park for a vehicle to get by. That's why they are
questioning the validity of the charge.
Dennis Greer says, "The guy wasn't blocking anything. He was able to
drive a full size truck by with no problem."
In addition to the charges, people were taken aback by the deputy's
attitude.
"He came down there, and was just very abusive in his language. Never
once did he state to me why he would arrest me, or why he was doing
anything", Greer says.
Barnes adds, "He continued to say that I was the example why people
were stopping and that I was putting those other people at risk,
because they were stopping behind me."
Barnes says that during his years of storm chasing, this is the first
time anything like this has ever happened to him. And despite this
one incident, he has good things to say, about West Texas.
"I have to say that everytime I come to West Texas, the people here
are outstanding. They are the most friendly people I've ever met," he
said.
Barnes was released on a $2,000 bond. He plans to hire a Dallas
attorney to handle his case.
Calls to the Crane County Sheriff's Office for comment were not
returned. "
I advise that we all get Tasers or other weapons to protect ourselves
from these rogue law enforcement officials. He should have been tased
and handcuffed for his own safety.
your ignorance truly is amazing. For one moment, at least /act
/intelligent. I am no fan of cops either (they work hand in hand with
whoever has the power). But they do deserve at least fair
consideration: they do a job you wouldn't do.

It was a narrow road, being used by lots of cars and trucks to flee a
destructive TORNADO. Tornadoes come up suddenly; they give little
reaction time. And several fools obviously were blocking the evacuation
route. Funny thing that the only witness to this "police powerplay" was
a photographer who was also blocking the escape route of the narrow
road. The cop's instructions were to ensure the free flow of people
away from the storm, to protect even the two idiots that were sitting in
the storm's path. Got news for you. Legitimate weather service storm
chasers have ID identifying them as such--on their vehicles, on their
persons: untrained wannabes need not apply.

--
"Sarah, if the American people had ever known the truth about what we Bushes have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched."
--- George Herbert Walker Bush, in an interview with Sarah McClendon, 1992- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Gringo, I tend to go along with your thoughts on this one, and have to
ask a basic question or two that nobody has yet addressed.

You've made menton of the ID that legitimate newspeople carry. I'm
not aware of what the practice is there in Texas, but here in the
northeast if you are working for a legitimate news or other reporting
agency, you carry a Press ID Card. Most people are unaware that they
exist, but they do.

In New Jersey and New York state, Press ID Cards are issued only by
the State Police, and only to persons having legitimate press
credentials (employee of a major news organization, television or
radio station, etc.) The are hard to obtain, and once obtained
carefully guarded since in most cases they are the key to continuing
employment.

Now here is the problem that I have with this story, and it is a major
problem. While a press ID card can generally get you inside the police
lines without a hassle, in emergency situations it cannot. The police
do precisely what they are trained to do, and that is to look out for
public safety.

Now here is the problem that I have with this report. Evidently
someone representing themselves to be a member of the media was
arguably at least blocking the flow of traffic on an emergency access
route where people were fleeing from a tornado. At least, that is my
take on this story.

Now here is the issue that I find based on the description of the
incident. I will assume that the individual involved did not have a
legitimate Press ID Card, plus in some way was obstructing the free
flow of traffic along an emergency exit route. He did not comply with
the police officer's directions, and was subsequentially placed under
arrest. This should not come as a great surprise to anyone, since he
was jeopardizing the publics' safety. He deserved to be placed under
arrest.

Those of us who have ever held a state issued Press ID card realize
that this is a privilege, not a right, and although we sometimes are
allowed access to scence the the general public is not admitted, the
price of this privilege is responsibility. The cost of a violation and
losing your Press ID credentials is often or generally the loss of
employment. When on assigment, you (we) obey the instructions of a
police officer, no matter how silly it may seem. The penalty for
violation is the loss of your credentials, and thus your employment.

I'm not sure what was going on in this particuar situation, but I am
tempted to support the police officer in the actions that he
undertook. My guess it that the individual involved (Brian Barnes) was
simply an uncedentialed layman who was largely unaware of the "rules
of the road", and carried away with his enthusiasm to chase the
tornado and report its progress so some local TV outlet as just
another citizen.

The entire incident is sad to read about because the police officer
was simply doing his job as he was trained to do, and Brian Barnes
evidently became a bit too enthusiastic as his role as a storm
chaser.

Now were I the judge in this case, I would likely fine Brian $25 for
obstructing egress from a danger zone, and suggest to him that if he
wants to be a news reporter that he should take another $25 (just a
wild guess in this case) and apply for Press credentials.

Actually, I found this story to be more humorous than most people,
simply because I've known people like Brian Barnes as well as the
police officer involved in this case. On a more serious note, I
believe that this is a classic example of someone who believes their
rights are being violated by someone with a badge of authority. That's
why we have courts, and why it is so extremely important that the
judges who sit behind the bench in these courts are both honest and
competent. (ROFL)

Harry C.

p.s. Hope springs eternal, since in my lifetime I've seen one judge
who is both honest and competent. Right, One! It happened in Boston.
Boston, remember that this is where revolution began! Bostonians
(excluding the younger folks) think before they do ahything.

Harry C.







Harry, the judge sits ON the bench, not behind it.