“Where’s My Weapon?” Florida Man Hit With Multiple Charges After Full Monty

 

There was a bizarre arrest in Palm Coast, Florida, where Shawn Madden, 40, proved that he was no threat by stripping naked and asking “where’s my weapon?” There is ample evidence to support charges of disorderly conduct and exposure in the video below. However, a couple of the charges are as baffling as Madden’s full Monty performance.

Madden was allegedly yelling at people when police arrived and began to unload on the officers.  On the videotape, Madden is heard yelling “Let’s go! Let’s go! I’m swinging on everybody. I’m swinging on everybody.”

Later, he seems to assume the posture of a man misunderstood, asking “What did I f**king do? I ain’t brandishing sh*t.” He then dropped his pants and exposed himself while asking repeatedly “Where’s my weapon?”

Among the charges are assault on an officer and resisting an officer without violence — a charge that I have long criticized (here and here). It is a charge that often defies definition. It can be used when no other charge is available to justify an arrest. It is often based on a suspect merely disagreeing with an officer on the basis for an arrest or alleging abusive conduct by officers. To answer Madden’s question, he does not need a weapon or even physical resistance to be charged with this crime.

In a prior Florida case, a man was arrested for walking on the wrong side of the street (even though the officer could not remember which side he was walking on) and resisting without violence. The suspect, who was black, was punched in the face by the officer and later sued. The case was troubling not only due to alleged racial elements but also the use of two charges that served to legitimate the stop and striking of the suspect.

In this case, there was ample basis for the arrest. The use of the resisting without violence charge seems superfluous and unnecessary. It is often used to count stack to force a plea.