Man Records Arrest, Posts To YouTube
SHERIFF’S OFFICIALS: VIDEO LAUNCHED INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO DEPUTY’S ACTIONS
Posted: December 7, 2010 at 5:20 a.m.
Investigators with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office have launched an internal investigation into the actions of a fellow deputy, sheriff’s officials said Monday.
AT A GLANCE
Background Information
John Lewis has several Blogspots and YouTube videos where he points out incidents on what he calls “bad cops.”
In one profile, Lewis states, “Worked in such fields as private police, guards, then went into the news business. Worked as circulation manager at Sacramento Bee, Appeal-Democrat as Assistance then other smaller papers as reporter. Then on to medical which I stayed with SmithKline then Quest Diagnostics for over 22 years. Now do anything to get myself into problems by speaking against BAD COPS!”
Source: Staff Report
Web Watch
John Lewis’ Video
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Comments
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Sounds like more Dirty cops violating our rights and throwing their weight around.
Posted by: oldrustynut
December 7, 2010 at 5:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NO it sounds like someone hiding something..
Posted by: RTF99
December 7, 2010 at 8:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
criminalj, where does the RPD come into play with this? at all?
Posted by: nwlocal
December 7, 2010 at 9:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
This is excellent, see people do have camera in places the police do not know Hee Hee thanks Mr. Lewis for provening my point. A video is worth a thousand words. To bad the police (RPD and The prosecutors) dont understand we are smarter and can wire camera's in places they can never figure out.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 7, 2010 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nwlocal the RPD do come into play similar situation thats all.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 7, 2010 at 9:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
I would like to commend this officer for doing his job the way it should be done, respectfully and by the book.
If you watch the whole video, the guy arrested got what he deserved. It looks to me like what he recorded does more damage to him than the cop.
Posted by: hogheaven77
December 7, 2010 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
It points out the arrogance of SOME officers. If legal or not the officer if he felt that strong about looking could have called for a warrent to search the place. I do not recall if it is against the law for not calling a deputy Mr. Ithink the officer could have handled it differently and just got a warrant.
Posted by: martywilliams105261712
December 7, 2010 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Thank God this is finally getting the media attention it deserves. I watched all 4 you tube videos (start to finish of encounter) and that deputy is a power-mad thug who needs to be fired.
Posted by: JayTee
December 7, 2010 at 10:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JayTee: I think you watched the wrong videos. All I saw was a deputy that was more respectful than Lewis deserved. Lewis wanted to incite a situation otherwise he would not have come out of his house wearing video capture glasses. How did he know he would be arrested, unless that was his intent all along? Lewis' problem is that he didn't get the response he was looking for but now he is several dollars into attorney fees and needs a way out. Lewis would not even answer simple questions until he got to the jail, then he was very cooperative. Did his rights change from his front porch to the jail?
Posted by: skeptic
December 7, 2010 at 10:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Skeptic the deputy stated he had been called to the residence before on drug related incident. Apparently, Mr. Lewis has dealt in the past with deputy coming to his house abusing their power. Mr. Lewis probably knew trouble would come and was prepared this timeand wore the camera attached to the sunglasses. Where does it state you have to give more than your name and birthday to an officer? He complied, and said I dont know where he is "my son" and I have answered your questions. The officer should have left the property, but decided to stand their and demand respect. If you dont know where someone is harassing the person is not going to get you the answer.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 7, 2010 at 11:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Criminalj,
Oh, so the next time a cop stops to interview someone about a crime or to serve a warrant and the someone says "I don't know anything" the cop should just leave? Sounds like a great idea for some real good police work. So then the cop gets a call from someone else that has been harmed by a criminal saying why didn't you arrest this man before, the cop should say "he said he didn't know anything", so I just left.
Genius idea,...
Posted by: hogheaven77
December 7, 2010 at 12:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Actually, yes, Hogheaven77, neither members of the public nor suspects have a duty to talk to law enforcement. It's that pesky "right to remain silent" you've heard so much about.
And if a citizen declines to participate in a police interview, they cannot be arrested, as this man was, for "obstructing governmental operations."
Rather than promote blind sheep-like obedience to arrogant county deputies, we should all be celebrating the freedom and privacy we have as American citizens, even if on occasion it means police are thwarted in their desire to take the shortest route to an arrest.
Posted by: JayTee
December 7, 2010 at 1:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Skeptic, "more respectful than Lewis deserved?"
Well, you and I have very different notions of the rights of citizens to decline to talk to law enforcement. Lewis was not impolite, but he was firm. And he was on his property and wtihin his right to decline to answer questions.
Fear indeed a police state that can arrest people under circumstances such as those in this video. Fear also small minded armed men who can't keep from abusing their authority when they are called "Mr." instead of "Deputy."
Posted by: JayTee
December 7, 2010 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Some people seem to have the idea that if you aren't polite to a police officer it is OK for them to arrest you. Even some police seem to think that is the way it works. In the US we are protected by various rules and documents (including the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, among others) which are intended to protect us from abuse of powers by Deputy Winn and others. Just like any profession, police officers can be good or bad at what they do, and unfortunately, as in any profession, it's usually the bad ones that make headlines and establish that profession's reputation.
Posted by: springdalereader
December 7, 2010 at 1:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JayTee, so let's say someone steals your vehicle and you file a report with the police. The police find your vehicle and question someone sitting in it. That suspect says "I don't want to answer your questions". According to you they should just let him go. Sounds like a crazy society you wish to live.
Posted by: hogheaven77
December 7, 2010 at 1:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Ok, you Lewis backers are obviously past/present and possibly future criminals. I would never have a problem answering questions by a police officer because I don't break the law! People taking advantage of other people is absolutely wrong, which is what crimimals do.
If Lewis was a real man he would make his son turn himself in and face the charges like a man.
Posted by: hogheaven77
December 7, 2010 at 1:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HOGHEAVEN, re: your car theft analogy. Nope, I'm not saying let him go. "According to me" (well, this is con. law. 101) they should arrest him for theft if they have probable cause to do so. But they can't arrest him for declining to answer their questions.
The "crazy society" that I wish to live includes the values of the Bill of Rights. I'd worry more about a society without them. But to each his or her own.
Posted by: JayTee
December 7, 2010 at 2:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JayTee,
I appreciate the conversation and respect your point of view. I also wish to live by the values of the Bill of Rights. I was more referring to those who think it is ok to harbor a criminal who needs to pay for what he did. That is still a crime.
Watching the video, I really felt that Mr. Lewis had a very bad attitude at the very beginning of the police interview. I know we could not see his facial expressions, but I am sure he was antoganizing the officer with his body language also. Obviously Mr. Lewis was looking for a way to show off on youtube and his blog, so he got what he asked for.
Thats my point of view and I appreciate the forum.
Posted by: hogheaven77
December 7, 2010 at 2:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hog Heaven, strong statement regarding people as past,present or future criminals. I can assure you I dont have a criminal background. Like the deputy, you draw the wrong conclusion about people. I sure hope they don't give you a badge. A badge does not mean you get to arrest people, because they answered the questions firm. The man answered the questions and the deputy felt they should have been answered with yes I know where he is. The man did not know where his son was. Should the man have lied to law enforment? I think Jay tee has explained the rest hog heaven.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 7, 2010 at 2:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Isn't your name Criminal??? ; ) Sorry, just had to post that... all in good fun.
Umm, it sounded like to me Mr. Lewis was lying to the police officer and/or was not telling him the whole truth on where he thought his son might be. Just a guess, but I would say by his tone he was not being forthright.
Sticking to the subject (article), I still say the video does more harm to Mr. Lewis than the officer. And that Mr. Lewis was looking for a way to show off and he got exactly what he asked for...
Posted by: hogheaven77
December 7, 2010 at 2:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bad cops make good cops suffer. It is apparant that cops have friends as cops and usually no one else. They are a closed society and as such develop an "us against them" personality. The fact that they are cops by choice and uniformed suggests that they need to belong to a clan, as it were. The Mafia also have this type personality. The difference is that cops operate under the umbrella of the law while carrying a gun and a badge. The Mafia carry no badges.
Posted by: MrD
December 7, 2010 at 3:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Officer Winn was deliberately bullying Mr. Lewis. His "say it with me" comments were obviously designed to antagonize Mr. Lewis in hopes of provoking an angry response. I would be interested in seeing how many times Officer Winn has been "forced" to deploy physical force, his taser, his baton, etc. due to people resisting arrest, or fleeing, or "tensing up in a manner that, in my experience and training, indicated they intented to attack". Winn was unprofessional, rude, demeaning, and acting outside his legal authority. This was a false arrest and I hope Mr. Lewis makes them pay.
Posted by: Amicus
December 7, 2010 at 4:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mr. Lewis was deliberately bullying Deputy Winn. He needed to go to jail. You really want people like Lewis running around, above the law, hiding felons? If you do, then you must be one of them. FREE DEPUTY WINN!!!
Posted by: BCGuy
December 7, 2010 at 4:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hog Heaven,
My log in as criminalj stands for criminal justice. I have a bachelors in criminal justice. Before any one comments on that, no I dont think I am an expert in the field. However, I do know my constitution rights and Mr. Lewis did answered all the questions maybe his tone was not perfect, but there is not a law that requires a certain tone when answering question from the police. In view of the video, the "repeat after me" comment was ridiculous. I think I would have comment back but no as nice as Mr. Lewis did.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 7, 2010 at 8:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BC GUY you state Mr. Lewis was hiding felons where is that in the article? Again, like the deputy you read more into the comment than was is stated. What is the probable cause to arrest Mr. Lewis his tone when answering questions was incorrect and the officer felt he was lying. The law is not based on feeling but proof. The deputy could not prove he knew where his son was but felt he knew. Mr. Lewis stated, I don't not know where he is and the officer should have left the property with out the romper room game repeat after me.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 7, 2010 at 9:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
.
This was clearly an arrest on false pretenses.
.
I only wish we had a strong American Civil Liberties Union in these parts who would file a lawsuit against this abusive officer.
.
There was too much ego at work on the part of both parties involved. However, Constitutional and judicial rulings speak very clearly about what an officer of the law can and cannot do.
.
"Obstruction of a government operation" is a vague and dangerous law. It should be over-ruled by a high court or repealed. There's no place in a Constitutional Republic for such a law.
.
HogHeaven I hope you copy and save your comments. Perhaps when you grow up you can see the foolishness and hypocrisy of what you have posted.
Well, scratch that. Likely to never happen. Once addicted to authority, always addicted.
.
Posted by: cdawg
December 8, 2010 at 12:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Criminalj it sounds like you are not very supportive of law enforcement. If you don't support cops then you don't support America. If you don't support America then that makes you a terrorist. A TERRORIST!!!
Posted by: BCGuy
December 8, 2010 at 7:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BC Guy, I am not a terrorist, but hopefully one day to become a criminal defense attorney. I support good cops, not corrupt officers who abuse their power. I am not a terrorist, nor do I have a criminal background, and I don’t support cops who abuse their power.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 8, 2010 at 8:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
I am a law abiding citizen, I have never had any bad interaction with police officers. I've received a couple of speeding tickets and was treated with dignity and respect. I am appalled at the way this officer of the law was addressing the man in this case. There was no dignity and respect in his 'tone' to the home owner. I too would have major issues with the officer in this case, the demeaning manner in which he chose to instruct the man on how to address him, what a jerk. The problem is giving power to people without them earning that power. Take the school yard bully and give them a badge and gun and this is what you get.
Posted by: Spungold
December 8, 2010 at 9:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Is this the same deputy that got a letter of reprimand and a one day suspension over a felon who was on the loose in Pea Ridge earlier this year?
Posted by: hodman
December 8, 2010 at 9:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MrD: Your comment above about the need to belong to a clan was very insightful.
Posted by: Coralie
December 8, 2010 at 2:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
The law ENFORCEMENT officer managed to escalate the situation so he could make an arrest of an old man. I totally agree with Spungold.
Posted by: Oldearkie
December 8, 2010 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hodman, I think that deputy was "let go".
I think it could be said that both of these people had an attitude. The question is, is it illegal for either of them to have an attitude? I don't think so, but maybe someone wants to correct me, thats fine. My question is, did Mr Lewis break any law? I direct that question to someone who is educated in law. If he broke the law, what law was it? Where is the legal line that was crossed?
Posted by: Tumblebug
December 8, 2010 at 3:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
No one is watching the police why do you think the deputy talked the way he did to Mr. Lewis. Amazing how many police officer city and county keep appearing in the paper for wrong doing. Maybe someone needs to change the policy on how they hire. I agree, Van Stone needs to go since he wont get tough of officer who break and abuse the law. Come on Van Stone wake up, how many more officer will we read about who violated the people rights or abuse their power or how many of us will end up shot or killed by an officer before you impose stiffer sentences on this so called officer's.
Posted by: Criminalj
December 8, 2010 at 5:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PEA RIDGE, Ark. -- A Benton County deputy was fired after officials say he botched an investigation into former fugitive Cory Wolf's whereabouts.
Officials said the search for Wolf wasn't executed as well as it could have been. According to officials, Cpl. Todd Cornwell responded to an alleged Wolf sighting near Pea Ridge, conducted a short search, and then left the scene to have dinner with Pea Ridge police officers. He never filed a police report.
One other deputy, Dana Winn, was disciplined for this incident. He received a letter of reprimand, and was suspended for one day without pay.
Posted by: hodman
December 8, 2010 at 5:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mr. D that "line" was drawn by people like you and me. You know, people who only see the worst in others, are biased, hypocrits, low lifes, and can't see past the end of our own noses. When was the last time you gave an officer in the news the benefit of the doubt? Can't remember? Not counting this one on video...
Posted by: BCGuy
December 8, 2010 at 10:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Thank God we have people like Mr. Lewis to defend our constitutional rights for us. I’m sure this behavior is exactly what this country’s founders had in mind when they drafted the document. Mr. Lewis is obviously a pillar of our society and should be treated as such by every law enforcement officer with which he may come in contact...which I’m sure is many.
If I found out my son were wanted for a felony, the best thing for him would be to turn himself into the police before I found him. So, I guess this makes Mr. Lewis deserving of a Parent of the Year award for going to jail for harboring his son the wanted felon (or obstruction of governmental blah, blah...whatever). I guess this would be better than conceding that he has failed at fatherhood too.
Seriously, Deputy Winn showed more restraint than I would have. The only travesty that I observed in the video is that Mr. Lewis’ trailer hadn’t be blown away by a tornado before he was able to breed a whole new generation of law breakers. I will gladly pay my tax dollars to pay ANYONE to deal with Mr. Lewis and his descendants, so that I don’t have to.
Posted by: Ozymandias
December 8, 2010 at 11:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Well, this video is full of both of them antagonizing each other, but the cop is in the wrong, no question. You don't have to cooperate. It's not against the law.
If fact, if he WAS harboring a fugitive, he has a Constitutional right not to talk about it. There is a procedure for this.....the officer...excuse me, I mean "deputy" can obtain a warrant to get whatever information he wants. If he wants to search the house and has probable cause, a warrant to accomplish that is no problem.
If he has probable cause for this suspect, he can arrest him, read him his rights, and get....nowhere. Because this guy sounds like he's smart enough to do what the cop is going to tell him he has a right to do: shut up and call a lawyer.
Posted by: x3
December 9, 2010 at 10:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
I agree X3
Posted by: Criminalj
December 9, 2010 at 6:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Who cares if someone IS HIDING SOMETHING. That doesn't mean law enforcement can trample their constitutional rights. Some of you Socialists don't do a good job hiding your fascist thoughts.
Posted by: C4talyst
January 19, 2011 at 11:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Please don't throw around words like socialist and fascist when you don't know what they mean.
Posted by: Coralie
January 19, 2011 at 12:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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