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NC Deputy set straight after after making threat for Video Recording...

Dreamer

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
5,360
Location
Grennsboro NC
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I know some folks are going to wonder why I'm posting a story about a streaking college student who got tazed in Writesville Beach today. But read the whole story. As it turns out, the arresting deputy threatened to arrest someone who was video-recording the incident. and THAT is the part that is relevant to OCers. Read on...


http://www.witn.com/crime/headlines/95419794.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ProosQ76NUY
Naked ECU Student Tazed at Beach

An ECU student and a former football player is out of jail after being tazed by deputies in New Hanover County this past weekend. Deputies say Matthew Pick was running naked down a crowded street.

It happened early Sunday morning at Wrightsville Beach and the whole thing was caught on camera. Pick, who is 23-years-old, was charged with indecent exposure and resisting/obstructing a public officer.

New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon defended his deputy's use of a taser on a streaking suspect, but the man who shot the video told WECT in Wilmington that Pick was not presenting any threat.

The video, which was posted on youtube.com, also showed a deputy threatening Stephen Stearns for shooting the video.

The sheriff told WECT that his officer acted out of line by threatening to arrest Stearns for shooting the video and that he has counseled the deputy that he can't arrest someone for filming on public property.
Well, now we know the New Hanover County Sheriff in Wrightsville Beach knows the law about video recording in public, and is honorable and law-abiding enough to set his deputy straight after the deputy threatened a man for videotaping the tazering of a "streaker". Sheriff McMahon actually said in an interview that he encourages citizens to video police interactions, because it lets the CLEO's know what actually occurred in such incidents.

Maybe the police and AG in MD should take a hint from our fine Sheriff's here in NC, instead of arresting people who tape such incidents and charging them with felonies...
 

elixin77

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2010
Messages
591
Location
Greenville, NC, ,
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The sheriff told WECT that his officer acted out of line by threatening to arrest Stearns for shooting the video and that he has counseled the deputy that he can't arrest someone for filming on public property.


At least he knows the law, and understands that we live in a single-party consent state.

Naked ECU Student


Heh, go figure.
 
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