Deputies hold husband at gunpoint while sheriff fondles his wife.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

http://www.prisonplanet.com/lawsuit-...dled-wife.html

Lawsuit: Deputies threatened husband as sheriff fondled wife

Daniel Tencer
Raw Story
Thursday, February 4th, 2010

A sheriff in rural Tennessee has been accused of threatening a husband and wife by “blowing their f—ing heads off” and “inappropriately” touching the wife during an unwarranted traffic stop.

In a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Chattanooga, Shawn and ******** Graham allege that a group of police deputies, wearing camouflage and not identifying themselves as law enforcement officers, stopped the Grahams’ car in January, 2009, pushed a gun through the window of the Grahams’ Nissan and pointed it at the husband, “sometimes tapping his head with the barrel.”

The officers ordered the couple out of the car, and frisked them while yelling “death threats and angry curses at the Grahams.”

The Grahams say Sheriff Ronnie Hitchock of the Sequatchie County Sheriff Department personally carried out a pat-down of ******** Graham, during which he “reached inside the pockets of her clothing, making inappropriate contact with her breasts and groin areas. Handcuffed in the back of Sheriff Hitchcock’s cruiser, Mr. Graham was forced to watch this unconstitutional spectacle.”....

[Ben Lahnger]

From that same story:

None of the Grahams’ allegations have been proven in court.

So, until something more than the hearsay testimony of two people corroborates these claims, it really isn't worthy of mention here. Is it?

If you want to post this kind of story to rouse the rabble, there are much better, documented examples you could find.

[blindNsect]

Better examples?

[Beneath the Shadows]

If you want to post a news story, by all means do so. But make sure you post the whole fucking thing.

[Ben Lahnger]

Originally Posted by blindNsect

Better examples?

Yes, there are examples of police malfeasance and corruption out there. You think I'm going to do Deadman's homework for him? When he does post an example or two I will be arguing against his basic premise, which is that law enforcement can't be trusted.

[Still Jack]

Originally Posted by Beneath the Shadows

If you want to post a news story, by all means do so. But make sure you post the whole fucking thing.

Deadman is a prison planet brainwashee, you can't expect him to be neutral.

[blindNsect]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Yes, there are examples of police malfeasance and corruption out there. You think I'm going to do Deadman's homework for him? When he does post an example or two I will be arguing against his basic premise, which is that law enforcement can't be trusted.

You believe that Law Enforcement is essentially benevolent?

[Tam Li Hua]

Here's the rest of the story:

The lawsuit states that, even though the officers’ search turned up “no weapons, no drugs and no contraband,” the couple were taken to a police station and strip-searched. The couple were never charged with any crime.

The lawsuit further argues that the sheriff “did not investigate or review” the January 29, 2009, incident, even after it became apparent there were no grounds for arrest.

“In fact, the Sheriff made sure his department maintained little or no paperwork about Shawn and ******** Graham, referring to them only by the number given the jail cell he or she occupied,” the lawsuit states.
“Sheriff Hitchock failed to intercede and stop any in his armed crew to kill the Grahams by ‘blowing their f—— heads off’, pointing rifles at them, cursing them, frisking them, jailing them and then stripping them,” the lawsuit states.

The Grahams are suing under the federal Civil Rights Act for “wrongful arrest, false imprisonment” and “gross invasion of privacy,” among other things. The defendants are the Sequatchie County government, Sheriff Hitchcock, and a number of deputies from nearby Van Buren County.
None of the Grahams’ allegations have been proven in court.

[Tam Li Hua]

It seems awfully shady to me that the sheriff has little to no paperwork on this incident.

Besides that, what would the couple gain by falsely accusing a "backwoods Tennessee sheriff" and police department..?

For the record, sexual abuse is not always proven in court, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

[Ben Lahnger]

Maybe there isn't much paperwork because much of what the couple claims to have happened, didn't. But we cannot know at this point, which makes the posting of this article at this point just an exercise in useless speculation.

Originally Posted by blindNsect

You believe that Law Enforcement is essentially benevolent?

I would argue against that kind of sweeping generalization as I would against the notion that LE can't be trusted. There are examples of corruption and malfeasance, as I've stated previously. But his point is going to be that if you feel law enforcement can't be trusted, then it's up to everyone to defend their own property ... and if you've been reading his posts you can fill in the rest. I'm definitely not going to post anything that supports that premise.

[Tam Li Hua]

Lahnger: What do you suppose the couple would have to gain by wrongfully accusing a small-town sheriff of something so heinous? I mean, it's not like that police department is rich or anything..

I dunno; maybe it's because I just don't trust people any more, but I can totally see some backwoods police officers pulling this kind of stunt just out of boredom.

[Solumina]

There could be countless reasons why they would do this even if it hadn't happened, perhaps there is a personal problem with these people and the sheriff, perhaps they want money (and chances are their budget is larger than you think plus it generally wouldn't be the sheriff's office that has to pay but the county government that it is a part of and even the most backwater counties have budgets in the millions). Most likely they will not be successful in court (simply judging by statistics on similar crimes) but even so there is little chance that the sheriff will have his job much longer as it is an elected office and people don't like to vote for people who have been accused of doing terrible things.


I'm not saying that nothing happened, I'm just saying that there are reasons why someone might make a false claim.

[Ben Lahnger]

There are countless, unimaginable reasons beyond what Solumina stated. Maybe they want to be reality stars like the Balloon Boys parents. Who knows.

The fact is, we have to have proof of a crime before we worry about things like motive. Hearsay is not enough.

I don't care if it's someone like Mother Theresa saying they did it (I know she's dead, I'm just trying to think of the most unimpeachable character I can come up with), our legal system requires corroborating evidence for criminal prosecution.

It does not require it for a civil suit which is what they are proceeding with, but they are still going to have to convince a jury.

I'm not saying it didn't happen, but it would take more than just their word to convince me.

[Ben Lahnger]

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

I dunno; maybe it's because I just don't trust people any more, but I can totally see some backwoods police officers pulling this kind of stunt just out of boredom.

What if I don't trust people anymore either, and I can totally see some backwoods citizens pulling that stunt out of boredom to get the local LE in trouble? The trust thing kinda covers all parties here, because they all happen to be homo-sapiens and no one group of them has more right to my trust without evidence of their behavior.

Lots of people in this forum seem inclined to side against the authority figure in whatever story gets posted here. But the authorities aren't wrong as often as you think. That's why the number of news stories about law enforcement officers being found guilty of unethical or criminal behavior are far, far outweighed by the exponentially greater number of news stories of civilians being arrested and jailed by law enforcement officers for criminal acts.