Christian V. Phillips is not likely to drop off any more goodies for the police of Lake Worth, Texas. Phillips, 18, brought cookies from Mothers Against Drunk Driving to various police stations as part of his community service. He was arrested after police said that they suspected the cookies were laced with marijuana and field tests indicated LSD. It turns out the cookies were clean, but Phillips was jailed and charged.
Phillips was released after being jailed on on a charge of tampering with a consumer product. Police said that they smelled pot on the cookies but now believe it was pot sitting next to the cookies. They do not know why the test indicated drugs, but Lake Worth Police Chief Brett McGuire insisted “I probably wouldn’t do anything differently next time. None of my folks did anything that wasn’t by the book.” Really? How about not arresting him until you could show tampering?
For the full story, click here.
The irony is that the kid didn’t do anything wrong, so instead of him trying to make a case to the community that he’s a decent person, as the courts always lecture these young people, the situation’s reversed, and the cops now have to make a case to the community that they are decent people, after harassing a kid for no reason.
Personally, I don’t think that cops are decent people. In fact, I hate cops, because they tell people how to live, especially poor people who have drug addictions, who need medical help, and instead cops put them in jail, or harass them under petty charges simply because cops disapprove of their lifestyle, and want to make money off of traffic tickets, etc. “The rule of law” is no defense, because being evil is never legitimized by law, and besides there have been many societies that are peaceful without monocentric systems of law.
I’m sure there are some cops who for ethical reasons do refuse to prosecute drug users, but I feel like the police and courts are systemically corrupt, so they won’t get help from people like me, except in clear-cut cases of fraud or force, even though I’m not libertarian, but simply because the system’s so out of line that an ethical person can’t reasonably comply with it.
Did anyone bother to get that recipe?
Bob,Esq.,
Funniest episode. Fish was jumping across the tops of buildings pursuing a suspect.
Anyone remember Barney Miller?
Yemana: [when he’s stoned on the brownies with the hashish] Barney, Barney, Barney, is your mother from Killarney?
[a minute later]
Yemana: What do you say we guys go down to the beach, and shoot some clams?
no drugs in cookies based on lab results.
Reporting
Mark Johnson FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News/AP) ―
A teenager accused of delivering drug-laced cookies to a dozen police stations was the victim of overzealous officers who had very little evidence indicating drugs were inside the treats, his attorney said Thursday.
And lab results released late Thursday afternoon confirm that no drugs were present in any of the cookies.
http://cbs11tv.com/local/cookie.cookies.drug.2.768024.html
It is good to know that the police have such superlative noses that they can smell a crime being committed. Even where there is no crime!
Cops can now test cookies for traces of LSD in the field???
150 micrograms per cookie on the hood of a squad car?
Seriously?
Your wait is over Alex – haven’t you been paying attention – The Fourth Amendment is being partially suspended with the FISA Law enactment – Rendition, Gitmo … No waiting required.
I wonder how many years we have left until we turn into a nation of “Guilty until proven innocent”.