The Man's "Known To Be Argumentative"? Well, Send The Armored Car
Lowering the Bar posts about a sheriff saying "an armored vehicle is almost a necessity now."
What was he talking about? A commando operation with an armored car sent as backup to the...yes, 24...men!...sent to collect on..drumroll...a civil judgment.
Collect from...Godzilla? Sasquatch?
Nope -- just 75-year-old Roger Hoeppner. Bruce Vielmetti of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains:
Sheriff's Capt. Greg Bean said ... [that] while Hoeppner was never considered dangerous, he was known to be argumentative.
Wow, the guy might try to talk some sense into you..call out the SEALS and arm 'em to the teeth!
Lowering the Bar sums up:
And remember why they were at the Hoeppners' house: to collect a judgment. The Hoeppners hadn't committed a crime, they just owed the city money. I've never actually had to try to collect a judgment, and I understand it can be difficult--sometimes you have to seize and auction assets, garnish wages, or stuff like that. But apparently the city didn't want to bother with all that:Bean said deputies had to handcuff Hoeppner because he was not following all their instructions, but did eventually agree to pay the $80,000 judgment after a visit to a bank -- accompanied by deputies.Wait--they arrested him, drove him to the bank, and stood there while he withdrew the cash from his account? Is that legal? Somebody help me out here. Because it sounds kind of like robbery.
Yes, there are some bullies out there, and more and more, they're the guys with the badges.
via @walterolson
1. Coming onto private property without permission -Trespassing
2. Having a gun during the commission of your crimes - A Felony of it's own
3. Tying Up (or handcuffing) an innocent person - Assault, Unlawful Imprisonment
4. Forcing said bound person into your vehicle and transporting them against their will - Kidnapping
5. Forcing a person under duress to give you money - Robbery
Oh? You're a police officer and they owed the city money? Carry on then! Are you freaking kidding me????
bellflower at November 8, 2014 11:17 PM
"...call out the SEALS and arm 'em to the teeth!"
More like the Keystone Cops lead by Barney Fife.
Ken R at November 9, 2014 3:42 AM
Barney Fife was far too much of a law and order kind of man to ever allow this to take place. He would have used his one bullet in protecting this man.
joe wahler at November 9, 2014 7:25 AM
Why didn't they just get a garnishment order from a judge? So what the man is 'argumentative'. You know where is bank is. With judicial authorization they can garnish his bank account and never even talk to the guy. Why take the risk? Especially if a swat team is needed just to talk to the guy.
Ben at November 9, 2014 10:50 PM
I am in no way justifying this, but I can see that the issue was that the city was aware that he happened to have the $80,000 in his bank account. He has the money now, so they want the money now. They do not want to do this in a friendly manner, just to have him say, "I put the check in the mail yesterday." They didn't want to come back the next day to have him say, "You still didn't get the check? It must have gotten lost in the mail. I'll put another one in the mail tomorrow after I see my accountant." They didn't want to come back a couple of days later: "Well, someone cashed that check. There's no money in the account. What? It wasn't you? This is going to take three months to sort out." So the show of force demonstrates that they are not messing around and they are not going to take no for an answer. But now the guy can sue them for that $80,000 back and then some.
Fayd at November 10, 2014 8:35 AM
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