Only in the USA : 7.5 Years in prison for taking a wrong turn

I dont know what to say, but this poor guy is facing 7.5 years hard time for taking a wrong turn in a small city called Winslow. This is madness, were the hell is justice in this?

Translated from the biggest newspaper in Norway: Link to translated news


Mods please move to correct subforum

According to the article he is being charged with aggravated assault for driving recklessly.
Who is to say he isn't just denying fault? Isn't that common for a defendant?
What makes you believe him over 6 witnesses?

Geez, they don't mess around in America do they? How many cops and guns to apprehend a beat up Norwegian guy. Kind of puts you off wanting to visit.

The witnesses all know each other. And the main witness was the one who broke his nose. Please read all articles.. Why in the world would this guy try to run them over? He made a wrong turn, and then faced aggression from what i would call a mob, he tried to get away from them. He was the one who called 911.

- Several witnesses believe you tried to hurt people, even kill children, with the car as a weapon. What is your comment on that?

- It has absolutely no basis in reality. Witnesses are either family or acquaintances of each other, we have found. The accusations are unreal. Why on earth would I want to hurt children? I am about to get the rest of my life ruined. Although the minimum penalty is five years, the judge may decide to add things for each other, and I can get 35 years in prison, says Lars farm.

MOTHER arrested: Nurse Lars Farm Life (68) from Oslo called the emergency number 911 to say she and her son had been attacked. Instead, police arrested them.

Calling the police is the worst thing to do in the USA anymore, at least one of the most dangerous

Originally posted by RealSpoke
reply to post by GmoS719

 

aggravated assault warrants a 7 year sentence?

Did I say that?
I'm just saying that we weren't there so we can't say what happened
We can only speculate.

reply to post by GmoS719


Did you even read the article? aside from the first line?

The guy was in the US on vacation, with his family, he was driving on a highway when his tire blew, pulled off into a small town and accidentally pulled down a one way street where a street festival was happening.
Then upon pulling into a parking lot to get out the way of the festivities a group of angry Americans surround his car, panicked he tried to get away so backed up his car, hit a curb, then pulled out the parking lot.

In my opinion he was subject to what Americans do best... bully the foreigners

reply to post by BenDozer

I dont know what to say, but this poor guy is facing 7.5 years hard time for taking a wrong turn in a small city called Winslow. This is madness, were the hell is justice in this?

What exactly are you basing your skepticism on?

You werent there so all you have is witness testimony to go on.

So what compelling evidence do you have to believe the accused man over the witnesses?

reply to post by woodwardjnr

Geez, they don't mess around in America do they? How many cops and guns to apprehend a beat up Norwegian guy. Kind of puts you off wanting to visit.

When the police approach a situation, they do so with the information provided to them by witnesses. This information is related to 911 dispatch by witnesses and that information is then relayed to the police officers by 911 dispatch.

If the police officers were getting reports of someone driving erratically and actively trying to strike people with a vehicle (true or not), that is the information the police officers have to operate under until they arrive, render the situation safe and figure out what is going on first hand.

If you were tasked with having to confront a person who was reportedly trying to run people over, would you not approach the threat cautiously and prepared? These officers felt that they needed to be ready to confront the person operating the vehicle with deadly force if necessary. They approached the situation appropriately and as soon as it was established that the man was no longer a threat, they handled the situation appropriately.

If you recall, the UK police shot and killed a man in a taxi cab not to long ago. That action sparked days of civil unrest and rioting. These unfortunate events would make a person not want to visit the UK either.

Luckily, we are reasonable and intelligent people who do not let single events such as these speak for our entire country.

Looks like the hispanics in Winslow don't like the blue-eyes very much.

from what i could hear in English on the video from your source (listen for the police radio brodcasts) it seems they were responding to a man that had hit some ones child and then when they pull up behind the vehicle a passenger of his gets out of the car and freaks the cops out so they call for back up so that might explain the cops parinoia and reactions to him(him not being used to american police problay didnt help) i cant understand what he says in the interview with the reporter but earlier it seemed that what caused this was his wrong turn down a one way street where at least from what the police radio brodcasts were about he seemed to have struck a child with his vehicle


any one speak the language that can give us a transcrip of what he says happened in Norwegian?and any news on what happined to his passenger or who that was inrelations to him?(wife girlfriend etc)

facepunch.com...

KNOCKED DOWN: When John Christopher John Kristoffer Larsgard was arrested in Winslow last year, he and his mother Liv was on his way to Chicago. There, he filed a case against two people who in 2002 knocked him down during a run in Illinois, where he studied. The incident gave John Kristoffer Larsgard neck injuries. That same year, Professor Anders Bratholm a book about John Christopher John Kristoffer Larsgard and mother. BULLIED: In December 2001, John Christopher John Kristoffer Larsgard awarded 30,000 kroner in criminal injuries compensation because he was attacked by bullies at a school in Oslo. After that his mother was present in the VG and talked about what she characterized as a 'bully hell' that her son had been exposed. Bullying was so bad that his son moved to the United States. THROWN OUT: in September the same year, the bioengineering student was accused of being a potential terrorist and thrown out of studies at the University of South Alabama. 22-year-old John Kristoffer Larsgard later sued the university, so he could continue his studies at another U.S. university.

so from this source it seems he has allready be to court and convicted? im thinking it went down sort of how he said it did but was mostly a culmination of unfortunate events
guy makes a wrong turn down a one way street during a festival of some kind (probaly drunk people) so the people get angry and start hitting his car or something,guy then panics and tries to get out of the area quickly possibly striking some one with his car during which he was apparently hit in the face repeatedly so he then fled(technically hit and run but with extenuating circumstances) so then one of the people at the festival potentaly the one whos chiild was accidentally struck with guys car calls 911 and reports a hit and run of a child which leads the cops to respond more aggressivly they then would and then we see the rest of video but if any one can speak norwegan wants to translate i know id be interested to know what he said


en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by BenDozer

The witnesses all know each other.

Not necessarily true. And, the mother of the man accused knows her son. Should we disregard her testimony as well? No.

Why in the world would this guy try to run them over? He made a wrong turn, and then faced aggression from what i would call a mob, he tried to get away from them. He was the one who called 911.

This from the person who was not there.

Again, you were not there and only have the account from a reporter who is only reporting on the story because the man accused is from his home country. Obviously, there is room for the reporter to be a little biased when reporting on the "facts."

This is why we have a legal system. All of these facts are going to come out in the trial and will be taken into consideration.

reply to post by RealSpoke

Calling the police is the worst thing to do in the USA anymore, at least one of the most dangerous

Really?

What are you basing this judgement on? The guy was not assaulted or brutalized by the police in any way.

If you are saying this because the man had an injury to his nose, that is from a witness punching him due to his, alleged, reckless driving not from the police.

If you did not read the article, please read before commenting.

Winslow is a small town. The police are there to serve the residents. Unfortunately they are serving the poor tourists to them. The tourists cannot make trouble for the small town citizens and their police friends. After all they live across the world in Norway.

It is going to take television and news coverage IN AMERICA, NOT NORWAY to influence anyone who can actually do anything about this.

Originally posted by RealSpoke


Calling the police is the worst thing to do in the USA anymore, at least one of the most dangerous

edit on 25-4-2012 by RealSpoke because: (no reason given)

True Story.

NOBODY living in the "hood" calls the PO-PO...................

Theres got to be a reason......

reply to post by Kr0nZ

The guy was in the US on vacation, with his family, he was driving on a highway when his tire blew, pulled off into a small town and accidentally pulled down a one way street where a street festival was happening.
Then upon pulling into a parking lot to get out the way of the festivities a group of angry Americans surround his car, panicked he tried to get away so backed up his car, hit a curb, then pulled out the parking lot.

Yes, you have proven that you are very good at reading and comprehending the accused man's side of the story.

What you are not taking into account is the testimony of the other witnesses which may tell a different story.

In my opinion he was subject to what Americans do best... bully the foreigners

Ridiculous.

And you sir are subject to what every other simple minded person does best...play into stereotypes and prejudices.

Originally posted by RealSpoke

Calling the police is the worst thing to do in the USA anymore, at least one of the most dangerous

edit on 25-4-2012 by RealSpoke because: (no reason given)

I totally agree. This poor tourist probably thought he was actually going to receive help. Unfortunately small towns need money to operate and equally unfortunate Winslow needs to take this money from tourists any way they can. The police assist them in this endeavor.

reply to post by groingrinder

Winslow is a small town. The police are there to serve the residents. Unfortunately they are serving the poor tourists to them. The tourists cannot make trouble for the small town citizens and their police friends. After all they live across the world in Norway.

What evidence, exactly, are you basing your opinion, that the police locked him up because he was not from this country, on? I would really like to know because nothing I read lead me to that conclusion.

reply to post by sonnny1

True Story.

NOBODY living in the "hood" calls the PO-PO...................

Theres got to be a reason......

Actually police officers in the "hood" have more calls for service as compared to officers working in less populated areas. That is how you define the "hood" right? Population density, not skin color right?

Everyone calls the police. People of all races, colors and religions.

Should have known, Arizona.

He should have told them he was an illegal immigrant, Probably would have been shipped back on the next plane to Norway, no hassle.