Two North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers, Senior Trooper Edward Wyrick and Trooper Andrew Smith, have been suspended pending investigation after Gina Tessener said she was arrested despite blowing a 0.0 on a breathalyzer test. She then alleges that the officers arranged to pull over her husband, attorney Hoyt Tessener, who followed his wife to the magistrate. Recently released exchanges between the officers show profanity and hostility in dealing with the couple.
The stop occurred on June 21st. Here are the messages between the officers:
– 12:03:51 a.m. (from Wyrick to Smith): “This woman refused all roadside testing, and blew .00. Her husband is a trial lawyer and told me I should be ashamed of myself.”
– 12:05:02 a.m. (from Smith to Wyrick): “Hahahaha f— her and f— him. She say how much she’d had to drink?”
– 12:07:13 a.m. (from Wyrick to Smith): “She said 1 drink at 7pm.”
– 12:07:30 a.m. message from Smith to Wyrick: “F—her.”
At around 12:15 am, Wyrick tells Gina Tessener he is taking her in to the magistrate’s office. While presumably on the way to the magistrate, the messages continue.
– 12:31:36 a.m. (from Smith to Wyrick): “TELL HIM IF HE WANTS TO COP AN ATTITUDE TO FEEL FREE AND COME BACK AND ILL —— HIM THAT SPEED.”
– 12:33:42 a.m. (from Wyrick to Smith): “HOW FAST”
– 12:33:59 a.m. (from Smith to Wyrick): “58”
Wyrick and Gina Tessener arrived at the magistrate’s office at 12:44 a.m.
Wyrick puts Gina Tessener into the New Hanover County Detention Center at approximately 12:44 a.m.
She was later released.
If this is the treatment for a 0.0 register, I wonder what you get for blowing a .9 in North Carolina? Keel-hauled or broken on the wheel?
Source: WRAL
And I am sure that the original comment wasn’t meant to be disparaging.
Do the people on this site seriously think that every person in North Carolina is a neanderthal because two highway troopers over-stepped their authority and committed potential crimes? It is ok to write disparaging remarks about millions of people but it is wrong to take offense?
I apologize to Gene H. for my statement. I apologize to the readers of this blog for my statement.
Joeey,
Actually, Neandethal’s are fully human. They’re not modern humans, but they are apart of the genus homo, which is collectively referred to as “human.”
Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
Elaine M.,
I am nice and friendly. If you call me an animal I get upset.
I will remove my comment when Gene H. removes his.
My point was some police are bad- these cases are not limited to North Carolina. They happen everywhere. Calling people neanderthals is counter-productive and rude. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Lrobby99,
I wonder if Joeey considers himself to be one of the “nice and friendly” people who live in North Carolina.
Calling people sub-human animals is not ‘witty.’ Blind stereotyping is not productive.
Gene H. makes a witty comment of opinion, Joeey attacks him with F-Bomb. Gene H may have a point.
Liberty -noun freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.
Police -noun the regulation and control of a community, especially for the maintenance of public order, safety, health, morals, etc.
Do I need to elaborate more on how incompatible these two concepts are?
I live in North Carolina. I watch the local news which carries this story every night. No one was hurt that night and while I hope the two officers lose their jobs I doubt it will happen. But it isn’t because it is North Carolina- it is because police hardly ever get into trouble.
I have lived and worked in Michigan, Iowa, California, Massachusetts, Indiana and Pennsylvania. You know what? This kind of stuff has happened in each of those states. Police Officers sometimes shoot and kill unarmed children. It is, in fact, happening more and more all around the country.
In California- a transit cop shot and killed an unarmed teenager on the subway. He got a couple years in prison- deferred.
In New York- a police officer raped a woman. Nothing happened.
Of all the places I have lived North Carolina is the best- by far. The people are nice and friendly. I chose to live here not because I am a ‘neanderthal’ (Thanks Gene H.!) but because it was a better place to live than Michigan or California or Indiana or Massachusetts or Iowa or Pennsylvania. I guarantee people are more racist and ignorant in Michigan (I lived their for 20+ years) than they are here.
Gene H. – I don’t know where you live and don’t really care. All I have to say is go f*ck yourself.
I like Dredd’s idea … “Stupid Cops”, a new reality show
“If she “refused all testing,” how did they come up with that 0.0 reading?”
Bette Noir,
I’ve never been stopped for DUI, but I understand there are other cognitive
tests like counting down from 100 and walking a straight line. My assumption in reading the article was that she wanted to go straight to the Breathalyzer. This is what I’d do if I was ever stopped because I don’t drink and sometimes when I’m tired I can’t walk a straight line.
The inference I’d make is that police like these get off on power and ordering people to do this things gives them a frisson of power. She spoiled the fun and thus needed to be taught a lesson. Now at the station, since she was the wife of a lawyer, she probably stood on her rights not to take a urine or blood test. While my belief is that most LEO’s are just interested in doing their job’s well, I think some feel the badge gives them special status.
With the latter, their ego’s get stroked by exerting power over citizens.
If she “refused all testing,” how did they come up with that 0.0 reading?
This is classic dumb and dumber. There was a show about stupid criminals, so now it is probably time for a show “Stupid Cops”.
“Bad cop, bad cop, whacha gonna do when they come for you …”
It is symptomatic of a growing national problem.
I wonder if they did a blood draw….maybe she had other things in her system…there are some jurisdictions that hit you with driving while impaired for eve trace amounts of thc in the blood stream…
I can only assume there is no intelligence test for becoming a state highway patrol person in North Carolina.
LK:
I find publicity has a greater effect than the prospect of paying money somewhere down the road.
mespo, one can hope. I’ll believe it when I see it though. Maybe the forthcoming lawsuit (if the husband is a lawyer worth having the degree) will spur some action by the NCHP to remove these guys.
That exchange coupled with the false arrest should just about do it for these Keystone cops.
“She said 1 drink at 7pm.”
Which is why you should never admit to the police that you have had anything to drink.
In a related story, National Geographic is reporting that anthropologists have recently discovered a breeding population of Neanderthals in North Carolina. They apparently survived their reported extinction during the Pleistocene by becoming employees of the NC State Highway Patrol.
Not to be picky, but I’d have to assume you mean a .09?
There were days when I tried for a .9, but I’m feeling much better now…