So Wrong On So Many Levels: Arrested For Bottled Water-Buying
First of all, the woman is 20. We are paying cops to hassle people 20 years old for having a drink? My parents allowed us alcohol pretty much my entire lives. Since it wasn't forbidden, we didn't much care. Also, my dad drinks stuff that tastes like drain cleaner.
So, to get to the story, some college women went off and bought sparkling water in a case and some cookie-dough ice cream for a fundraiser and were spooked by ridiculous cops with no real crime to go after who instead are hellbent on stopping students who get a buzz on.
They suspected the case of water was -- gasp! -- a case of beer!
Problem was, the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission narcs weren't in uniform and the women had just been to one of those "Take Back The Night" rallies, where they learned the very good advice to just run your ass off if threatened.
A confluence of events led to the women hitting the "scram!" button. As the Daily Progress article puts it:
Daly said she and her roommates were "terrified" after being approached while carrying a blue carton of LaCroix sparkling water along with cookie dough and ice cream purchased for a fundraiser.Authorities charged Daly with two counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer and one count of eluding police, all Class 6 felonies carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $2,500 in fines per offense.
"She was not arrested for possessing bottled water, but for running from police and striking two of them with a vehicle," ABC's statement said.
A friend in the front seat of the SUV recently had heard stories from dozens of sexual assault survivors at an annual Take Back the Night vigil on UVa Grounds and was on edge, Daly's defense attorney, Francis McQ. Lawrence, said Thursday. The friend urged Daly to "go, go, go," court records state.
"They were not in anything close to a uniform," Daly said in her written account.
"I couldn't put my windows down unless I started my car, and when I started my car they began yelling to not move the car, not to start the car. They began trying to break the windows. My roommates and I were ... terrified," Daly stated.
The women dialed 911 while pulling out of the parking lot to report what was happening and to ask whether the agents were officers, Daly said. She said she was planning to drive to a police station.
Daly wrote that the incident "is not just forgotten by [Thursday's] results."
"This has been an extremely trying experience and one that has called into question what I value most: my integrity, honor and character," she said. "Cookie dough and ice cream for a fundraiser should not put you through an extremely degrading night and afternoon in jail, appearing in court, posting bond, having to pay an attorney ... not allowed to leave the state, causing you endless nights of no sleep, [a]ffecting your school work and final exams, wondering if you would be dismissed from school, wondering how this would damage your reputation and ability to get a job, all while waiting on pins and needles to see what the Commonwealth is going to offer you."
Daly wrote that she never has consumed alcohol.
Sosij, who sent me this link, wrote:
How did they even know she was underage? Also, don't the authorities realize that no one who's smart enough to go to college is dumb enough to attempt to buy alcohol while underage? You just let your upperclassmen friends buy it for you.
On a positive note: The prosecutor has apparently dropped all charges. So that's good.
Back to the story: just how are you supposed to know that the people demanding that you stop and interact with them are a plainclothes police officers? What are you supposed to do, when one of these people draws a gun? They're lucky they weren't run over!
a_random_guy at June 30, 2013 11:34 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/07/01/so_wrong_on_so.html#comment-3779364">comment from a_random_guyMy friend Sergeant Heather told me to always run if somebody's trying to kidnap you, etc.
Amy Alkon
at July 1, 2013 5:23 AM
We've found another place where taxes are too high.
MarkD at July 1, 2013 6:25 AM
We've found another place where taxes are too high.
And the cops, clearly, have nothing better to do...
Sabrina at July 1, 2013 6:51 AM
If you work for a law enforcement agency that targets alcohol purchases shouldn't you know the difference between bottled water packaging and beer packaging?
Jay at July 1, 2013 7:08 AM
What idiocy. You have your guys in plainclothes try and stop female students at night in a parking lot? If they were that interested, couldn't they have discretely put one guy inside the grocery store to see what people were buying?
It looks to me like the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement blew their entire training budget on bourbon.
I'd still rather live in Virginia than Maryland or D.C., though.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at July 1, 2013 7:29 AM
Cops are heroes. 9/11.
Now shake 'em for the camera, honey.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/forces-woman-shake-bra-stop-article-1.1379021
That's a good citizen.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 1, 2013 7:53 AM
The tendency to try and be all Seal Team Six is way too prevalent in all of US law enforcement, but particularly in single-issue agencies that have enforcement powers. Like this lot.
The report claims that a female ABC officer in plain clothes 'displayed her badge'. Oh, sure. In her hand? In the dark? To the occupants of a vehicle? It's patently unreasonable to expect a citizen to accurately identify a 3" piece of metal under such circumstances. And it's completely unreasonable to allege assault upon an officer when a reasonable person cannot be expected to identify the person as an officer. That's what uniforms and other blindingly-obvious identifying clothing are for.
The ABC spox describes the reaction of the citizens as 'panicked'. Probably correct. But whose fault is that? Who created the panic by their bone-headed tactics? There are 1,001 products and procedures to prevent this sort of thing from happening. It sounds like the whole operation was incredibly-poorly planned, with absolutely no thought given to any of the likely scenarios that might occur.
The charges were laid in an attempt to put a layer of credibility on what is, on its face, a truly terrible piece of police work - and to apply leverage to the citizen to try and prevent her from making waves.
Of course, nobody will be disciplined for this fiasco, and the burden will fall on the citizen to get the arrest record expunged. And the type of tactical training and supervision that is required to prevent this sort of thing from happening will not take place. In a few months, when the furore has died down, something like it will happen again, because nobody at the ABC will have any individual or collective memory of consequences from the last time.
llater,
llamas
llamas at July 1, 2013 8:25 AM
From past experience, it would not surprise me to find out that the cops involved were either out of their jurisdiction, or were desk jockeys not authorized to have arrest powers. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
(As an aside, I will note that attending those Take Back the Night rallies gets women all panicked about being around men, which contributed to the problem here.)
Cousin Dave at July 1, 2013 9:05 AM
When my husband read this to me last night, I said it sounded like a crazy sit-com plot.
First you take young women who just heard any number of horror stories at the Take Back the Night rally.
Then, mix in a group of undercover cops who are in the same location attempting to capture underage criminals at the same place at the same time.
Hilarity ensues.
Pricklypear at July 1, 2013 9:49 AM
Drinking water is dangerous. I'm sticking to my Jack Daniels.
Gog, dude you are getting tedious with your "Cops are heroes. 9/11."
Dave B at July 1, 2013 10:02 AM
Dave, save your outrage for the criminals who nearly escaped with some ice cream.
The face on the TV says uniformed Americans are heroes. Everything changed on 9/11, Dave.
Everything.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 1, 2013 10:12 AM
"save your outrage"
Outrage? Dude, let me update to say you are tedious and delusional.
You need to stop listening to your friend, the face on the TV, or the guys in the white coats are going to come and get you.
Dave B at July 1, 2013 10:39 AM
Dave ... Gog was being sarcastic, from his first post on.
I'd bet a dollar on it.
Sigivald at July 1, 2013 1:56 PM
What the internet needs is a Sarcasm Font.
I've always heard that if one is unsure of a plainclothes cop's credentials, one is advised to drive (slowly) to the nearest public, lighted area and call 911 to verify.Or at least that is what they say here whenever we have police impersonators, which is common.
Doesn't sound like they allowed these young women that opportunity.
bmused at July 1, 2013 4:48 PM
I wonder what would have happened of one of them were over 21 and had a CHL/CCW.
What if they draw down on the cops?
Jim P. at July 1, 2013 7:55 PM
Truth be told; it is far better that the young woman face these stupid charges than be dead for thinking that a rapist/murderer was law enforcement.
Further truth be told - they should be damned happy that she didn't carry a gun.
Charles at July 2, 2013 1:46 AM
"let me update to say you are tedious and delusional."
Perhaps.
But my personal hygiene is beyond reproach, so I've got that going for me.
Which is nice.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 2, 2013 8:40 AM
"The face on the TV says uniformed Americans are heroes. Everything changed on 9/11, Dave."
Oh yeah, I managed to forget that for a moment. Seriously, it hasn't been all bad: at least it brought an end to the era when it was widely fashionable to be ashamed of being American. But yes, the idealization of public servants has gone beyond the pale.
Cousin Dave at July 2, 2013 10:39 AM
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