Man Arrested For 'Turning Without a Signal'

Man Arrested For 'Turning Without a Signal'

www.kvue.com

MELISSA, Tx -- Mark Robinson was driving through downtown Melissa last week when he was pulled over for failing the use his turn signal.

But instead of getting a ticket, the officer took the 24-year-old to jail.

He was booked, strip searched, and sat for 3 hours with criminals. “People talking about using drugs and shooting heroine. They asked me what I was in there for and I said a turn signal violation,” said Robinson.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Yet another one of those "head-scratchers" that seems to be all too common in this day of authoritorian rule over the civilianry...Arrested and strip-searched for failure to put his blinker on...At least they didn't taze him though, that would have been the capper.lol

More awesome use of our tax-payer dollars--Keeping the populace safe by incarcerating evil blinker-violating criminals!

There aren't any warrants out for Robinson. In fact he says he's never been in jail. But he does admit to challenging the officer's questions during the stop.

In fact News 8 contacted various cities in Collin County, many of which have not made a single arrest this year for not using a turning signal. Even the police chief in Melissa acknowledges he's never seen this happen in his own city. “In the 6 years I've been the police chief, this is the first time,” said Chief Duane Smith, Melissa PD.

But he stands behind his officer, saying state law gives him the power to arrest someone for many crimes, no matter how minor.

www.kvue.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 7-5-2008 by DimensionalDetective]

But he does admit to challenging the officer's questions during the stop.

Hmmm. Yeah right. He "challenged him". Id love to hear the cop's side. This article is just too one sided.

I bet he did far more then challenge him. I would bet, based on the things I read here, that he verbally assualted the cop, acted like an arse and put up a major fight over getting the ticket.

I think its impossible to make a sound judgment on this, when you are hearing a biased report of the situation.

saying state law gives him the power to arrest someone for many crimes, no matter how minor.

This is the part of the story that should really scare us.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
I would bet, based on the things I read here, that he verbally assualted the cop, acted like an arse and put up a major fight over getting the ticket.

Oh, the poor little frail cop. Got verbally assualted. Give me a freaking break. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Verbal assault.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
... I would bet, based on the things I read here, that he verbally assualted the cop, acted like an arse and put up a major fight over getting the ticket. ...

And which of these three things are illegal?

Originally posted by sir_chancealot
And which of these three things are illegal?

Shhh!!. Don't you know that questioning an "authority" figure nowadays is illegal? Welcome to Amerika.

While I too am curious about how the 'criminal' 'challenged' the officer, I can't help but think...

We now live in a country where you cannot 'question' authority. Was it really in the best interest of the community to jail this guy? Did it 'protect' anyone from harm? And frankly, I must challenge the notion of 'no matter how minor...'

reply to post by sir_chancealot


In todays Fascist Police State, all of the above silly!

How DARE that peonistic civilian question authority! They should have tazed him and maybe waterboarded him along with the strip-search!

Refusing to sign a ticket here can earn one a trip to jail.

Failure to use a turn signal, must be a slow year in north texas.

Originally posted by Griff

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
I would bet, based on the things I read here, that he verbally assualted the cop, acted like an arse and put up a major fight over getting the ticket.

Oh, the poor little frail cop. Got verbally assualted. Give me a freaking break. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Verbal assault.

As a ex-teenager, (years since)who OFTEN challanged cops, It DOESN'T take much to pis* off a cop, and once you have done that, usually you will be arrested.. I was arrested with a friend walking home (under the influence... not drunk), and underage.. we were picked up, brought to the town court (1 am), while we waited for the judge to be woken up and asked to arraign us..(mind you we were in violation of the town's "quiet time laws", a violation, but after sleeptime judge wakes up and come to court, we are on our way to county jail for 6 days...luckily due to early release, and not releasing on weekends, we only spent 6 hours in jail...

lesson here is simple.... DO NOT MAKE COPS ANGRY they have the badge, and a judge will almost always side with an arresting officer, rather than a young person.... just give them what they ask for, and he probably would have gotten a warning and let go


[edit on 7-5-2008 by damntheptb]

A cop and a disgruntled driver he has pulled over. The cop apparently gets annoyed and simply sends the man to jail. Why would anyone here take the cop's side?

Do you people know what police are for anymore in this country?

Back in the earlier 1900's you could harass a cop by today's standards and he would just give you a couple "Uh huh" 's and write you a ticket. Even if you were in a bad mood and expressed it to him, he was still ultimately on your side! Like Griff said, if you can't take the heat, get out.

Whatever happened to cops being heroes? Now they're apparently just pansies with guns and attitudes. If people keep letting this kind of stuff slide, it's only going to get worse until eventually someone will get use out of them once again, but only for target practice from roadsides. They will take whatever authority people will let them have, but you get the respect you give in return.

Two sides to every story...

We dont' know what was said to the officer or in what tone it might have been said.

reply to post by greeneyedleo


That sounds likely, I think. The guy probably overreacted just a little bit to being pulled over. Of course, the cop shouldn't have hauled him to jail, but if he had the authority to do so under Texas law for failing to give a proper signal, oh well. I'm almost certain that the cop wouldn't have exercised his maximum allowable force had the guy acted civil.

The moral of this story? Don't anger the cops over piddly stuff.

[edit on 7-5-2008 by vor78]

Well he shouldn't have been strip searched, but I for one am glad he was arrested.
Serves him right for being so lazy, and having no care for people around him.

The amount of times I have almost been hit by a car because it did not use its indicators, (Turn signals if your Amercian) is just stupid. And the driver seems to think its your fault.

Would you all be on his side if he hadn't used his indicators and then had hit someone, or are they so lame that it was obviously the pedestrians fault who should have known what the driver was doing?

Originally posted by damntheptb
lesson here is simple.... DO NOT MAKE COPS ANGRY they have the badge, and a judge will almost always side with an arresting officer, rather than a young person.... just give them what they ask for, and he probably would have gotten a warning and let go

In other words. Get back to your grass. BAHHH!!!!!!

(Mod Note: Please do not post inflammatory One-Liners.)

[edit on 5/8/2008 by thelibra]

What if he was the only car on the block and the cop saw it from the next block.

Anyone ever notice how using turn signals seems to be a signal for other drivers to cut of one's access for a lane change?

More info on the incident would be great. Some one was having a bad day it seems.

Originally posted by elevatedone
Two sides to every story...

We dont' know what was said to the officer or in what tone it might have been said.

Since when are words illegal? Since when is the "tone" of your voice illegal? Even if he threatened the cop with words, it is still not illegal. Now, if he raised a fist to the cop, THAT is illegal.

[edit on 5/7/2008 by Griff]

BTW, when is the last time anyone here has seen a cop use their turn signal?

I see cops all the time turn on their lights just to get through an intersection and turn them off again when through it.

Originally posted by damntheptb
lesson here is simple.... DO NOT MAKE COPS ANGRY

I don't think you realize what your little contribution here is beginning to cause to tip, for the rest of us who aren't going to put up with this BS from police.

Here in Virginia, people remember what happened the last time the protectors became the bullies and started pushing our buttons. It really pisses us off, apparently. It does not take much, once it touches home.

As a little historical lesson: the Commonwealth of Virginia freed itself from England before the actual revolutionary war even kicked off. To state otherwise is only semantics. Governor Dunmore sat in Williamsburg on behalf of the King with virtually no army and *no* political power, as the House of Burgesses that he had allowed to exist independently decided to raise their own militias in every single county and simply ignored anything he requested, except when it was convenient for us to do so anyway. Patrick Henry even led these militias to Williamsburg once in a pre-war threat/confrontation with Dunmore, showing him how powerless he had become through abuse of power.

It wasn't too much longer after that, that the skirmish at Concord took place.