{"id":175769,"date":"2025-11-02T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=175769"},"modified":"2025-11-01T16:24:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T20:24:11","slug":"stupid-people-of-the-week-187","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=175769","title":{"rendered":"Stupid people of the week"},"content":{"rendered":"
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1970 Buick GS Stage 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Federal Agent Shot at a Driver in D.C. An MPD Officer Was Told To Omit the Shooting from His Report.<\/h3>\n

A Homeland Security Investigations agent shot at a man in D.C. at least three times during a traffic stop on Oct. 17, according to the man\u2019s attorneys. But Metropolitan Police Department Officer Jason Sterling, who was working with federal agents on the \u201cMake DC Safe Again\u201d initiative that day, omitted any mention of the shooting in an affidavit filed in court. His partner, Officer Divonnie Powell also omitted it from the public incident report.<\/p>\n

None of the bullets struck Phillip Brown, the driver and sole occupant of the Dodge SUV, according to his attorneys. But two bullets pierced his passenger seat, and a third ripped through the jacket he was wearing, near the collar, according to his attorneys. Brown was ultimately charged with fleeing from law enforcement, a felony.<\/p>\n

Sterling testified in court last week that he was instructed by a \u201cteam leader\u201d not to include details of the federal agent\u2019s shooting in his report because there would be an internal affairs investigation into the incident, according to Quo Mieko S. Judkins, Brown\u2019s defense attorney.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of that,\u201d Judkins says, adding that police and prosecutors are required to disclose those details to the defense.<\/p>\n

Sterling also did not mention the shooting to the U.S. attorney who was tasked with deciding whether to formally file criminal charges against Brown.<\/p>\n

Judkins says neither she nor the U.S. attorney were provided with the body camera footage of the incident\u2014another oddity in how this case played out. She says the prosecutor said the footage was \u201clocked down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police initially stopped Brown because they suspected the tint on his windows was too dark and he was allegedly missing a front license plate.<\/p>\n

Sterling\u2019s affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court describes how he and Powell were patrolling with agents from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshal Service, the FBI, and HSI.<\/p>\n

Sterling notes that the SUV was \u201ctraveling at a normal speed,\u201d but switched lanes several times \u201cjust as Officer Sterling activated the emergency equipment to affect a traffic stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sterling and Powell suspected the SUV was going to flee, so the local officers \u201cmoved out of the way to allowed [sic] the supporting federal partners to stop the vehicle.\u201d (MPD is barred by law from engaging in traffic pursuits except in narrow circumstances; some Republicans in Congress want to repeal that restriction.)<\/p>\n

When Brown\u2019s SUV stopped behind a RAV4, Powell and an HSI agent named \u201cBebber\u201d got out and started shouting orders (the affidavit does not list Bebber\u2019s first name). Sterling describes the rest of the interaction like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe engine to the Dodge SUV revved and start [sic] advancing towards officers that were on foot and ultimately struck the rear of the Rav4.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe driver and sole occupant of the Dodge SUV was removed from the vehicle and detained. The driver, hereinafter referred to as Defendant Brown, was placed under arrest and transported to the 6th District Station for processing,\u201d Sterling wrote.<\/p>\n

Judkins says an HSI agent fired into Brown\u2019s vehicle at least three times during the traffic stop. Two bullets hit the empty passenger seat, and one struck Brown\u2019s jacket collar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is shocking to me that someone was almost killed over a missing front license plate,\u201d Judkins says. \u201cAccording to the testifying officer, he was being stopped for suspected too-dark tint, and a missing front license plate.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until his preliminary hearing on Oct. 21, four days after the shooting and arrest, that Sterling revealed in courtroom testimony that he had been instructed to omit details of the shooting. Brown spent four days in jail and was released after a judge dismissed the charge for lack of probable cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was nearly killed during this encounter, which the court found lacked probable cause for any criminal charge,\u201d Judkins says, adding, \u201cthe officer admitted that the jacket that my client was wearing had a bullet hole around the collar area, so he was nearly struck. And there are two visible bullet entries in the passenger seat. So if anyone had been sitting there, they would have been gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown was issued a notice of infraction for driving with a suspended vehicle registration, according to court records. At the time he was stopped in October, he was on probation after pleading guilty in June to similar charges, according to court records.<\/p>\n

After the dismissal of the charges from October, Judkins filed a demand with the court to preserve all the evidence of the police interaction with Brown, including body camera footage, radio transmissions, internal communications and correspondences, photos, reports, spent shell casings, and \u201cthe jacket worn by Mr. Brown containing the bullet hole through or near the collar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Withholding body camera footage, along with the officer\u2019s omission of the shooting from his affidavit, \u201craises grave concerns that critical evidence could be lost or destroyed,\u201d Judkins writes in her demand filed in court.<\/p>\n

MPD is required to publicize its officers\u2019 serious uses of force, including anytime they fire their weapons, by identifying the officers involved and releasing body camera footage of the encounter. No such requirement applies to federal agents, even those working alongside MPD.<\/p>\n

Adding to Judkins\u2019 frustration over this case, she says the U.S. attorney offered Brown a plea deal the night before the preliminary hearing: avoid the hearing by pleading guilty, and the prosecutor would reduce the charge to a misdemeanor.<\/p>\n

But at that point, the U.S. attorney hadn\u2019t seen body camera footage of the incident and did not even know that an agent shot at Brown. Still, Judkins says, the prosecutor said the offer would expire at the start of the preliminary hearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no meaningful consideration,\u201d Judkins says. \u201cAt that point it was coercion. You either take the bargain without your attorney being able to fully investigate the case, or you lose the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

D.C. Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean dismissed the charge without prejudice, which means the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office can refile the case in the future.<\/p>\n

MPD spokesperson Tom Lynch says the shooting is under investigation by the department\u2019s Internal Affairs Bureau. \u201cMPD investigates all shootings involving members of law enforcement that occur in the District of Columbia,\u201d Lynch says. \u201cThe case will be independently reviewed by the United States Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Columbia.\u201d<\/p>\n

After this story was published, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson sent an emailed statement, saying in part: \u201cOn October 17, during a traffic stop an individual attempted to evade authorities. During the attempted stop, the suspect drove his vehicle at a Metro Police officer and a special agent from Homeland Security Investigations, in a deliberate attempt to run them down. The agent in fear for his life, and the lives of others, and the public fired defensive shots into the suspect\u2019s vehicle. No one was injured and Metro Police took the suspect into custody. This incident is currently under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown is now working with civil rights attorneys E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand on a potential lawsuit. They\u2019re holding a press conference tomorrow, Oct. 28, at 10 a.m. in front of MPD headquarters at 441 4th Street NW.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis federal agent shot into our client\u2019s car and it was really not made public until his arraignment and subsequent preliminary hearing,\u201d White says. \u201cThe MPD covered this up and didn\u2019t mention the shooting anywhere on the police reports and have not released any body worn camera from this incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re concerned about the broader pattern of what it means to have federal agents who aren\u2019t trained in citizen encounters and interacting with citizens on the streets of Washington, D.C.,\u201d Armand adds. \u201cThis is what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown was unavailable for an interview, but Judkins says he\u2019s been shaken up by the incident. He\u2019s had trouble sleeping, she says, and keeps replaying the encounter over and over in his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe thought they were trying to kill him,\u201d she says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Source; Washington City Paper<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018You got some pants on, officer?\u2019: Judge stunned at officer going pantsless on zoom appearance<\/h3>\n

A\u00a0Detroit<\/a>\u00a0police officer\u00a0left a\u00a0judge\u00a0speechless when he showed up for a\u00a0Zoom\u00a0hearing\u00a0wearing his uniform top and badge \u2014 but no pants.<\/p>\n

Officer Matthew Jackson from the\u00a0Detroit Police Department\u00a0appeared in the 36th District Court via Zoom on Monday for a reckless driving and public intoxication case, according to a video of the hearing\u00a0posted to YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n

However, when Jackson appeared on camera, he was wearing his official police button-up uniform shirt, badge, and boxers, but no pants.<\/p>\n

Judge Sean Perkins took immediate notice of the bizarre fashion choice, stumbling over his words for a moment before asking, \u201cYou got some pants on, officer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d Jackson then told the judge before moving his phone closer to his body so that only the upper portion of his body was visible.<\/p>\n

A lawyer taking part in the hearing then appeared with a bewildered expression on her face.<\/p>\n

Despite the awkward moment, the judge continued with the case without further mention of the bizarre incident.<\/p>\n

Jackson did not appear on the Zoom call again during the hearing. It was not immediately clear why he was not wearing pants during the call.<\/p>\n

In a statement to The Independent, the Detroit Police Department apologized for the officer\u2019s appearance during the hearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Detroit Police Department requires its officers to represent themselves in a dignified and professional manner while attending court proceedings\u201d said Detroit Police Chief, Todd Bettison. \u201cThe involved officer’s actions are not representative of the professionalism of this department and will be appropriately addressed to maintain the public confidence and efficient operation of this department.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur apologies are hereby extended to the judges and staff of the court, as well as anyone else who may have been in attendance during this incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 36th District Court adheres to a casual business attire dress code, per the court\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\u201cProhibited attire includes shorts (cut-offs), skorts, sleeveless shirts (tank tops), hats\/caps (except those worn for cultural or religious purposes) and other clothing which is not suitable in a Court or any other professional environment.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Source; The Independent<\/a><\/p>\n

Fourteen police officers among 20 arrested in Mississippi drug bribery sting<\/h3>\n

Fourteen current and former law-enforcement officers are among 20 defendants charged in Mississippi and Tennessee with accepting bribes from drug traffickers for police protection in what officials called “a monumental betrayal of public trust”.<\/p>\n

The arrests follow a years-long investigation by federal agents who posed as narcotics dealers. Two of the defendants were Mississippi sheriffs.<\/p>\n

Federal officials set up the sting after hearing complaints from real drug traffickers about having to pay bribes to officers.<\/p>\n

The bribery network allegedly extended beyond the Mississippi Delta region into Memphis, Tennessee, and Miami, Florida.<\/p>\n

“The original complaints that began the investigation were from drug dealers,” US Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi told a news conference on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Some of the officers had received bribes of between $20,000 (\u00a315,000) and $37,000, the prosecutor added.<\/p>\n

The sting involved undercover federal agents posing as drug dealers with fake narcotics, which the defendants allegedly believed to be 25kg (55lb) of cocaine.<\/p>\n

FBI deputy director Andrew Bailey said the accused officers had “sold out the public”.<\/p>\n

“They betrayed the trust that the public placed in them, disgraced the badge and undermined the hard work of good law enforcement officers across this state and region,” Bailey told the news conference.<\/p>\n

The arrests come as US officials have embarked on air strikes in South America against alleged drug traffickers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Source; BBC<\/a><\/p>\n

Nancy Mace Allegedly Berates Police Officers At Charleston Airport, Calling Them \u2018F*cking Incompetent\u2019<\/h3>\n

Rep Nancy Mace (R-SC) has always come across like a pain in the ass, and she’s definitely (to quote from the great John Nolte over at Breitbart) got all the charm, warmth, sex appeal, and charisma of a first wife.<\/p>\n

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina allegedly cursed at police officers who tried to escort her to her flight at Charleston International Airport, calling them \u201cfucking incompetent\u201d after they failed to spot her car at the curb, according to a police report.<\/p>\n

The South Carolina Republican arrived at the airport Wednesday morning in a gray or silver BMW, not the white BMW officers expected, according to a Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Department incident report. Officers waited at the ticketing area from 6:20 a.m. but never saw the white vehicle they were told to watch for.<\/p>\n

When dispatch notified officers at 7 a.m. that Mace had reached the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint, they found her \u201cvery irate,\u201d the report states. \u201cShe immediately began loudly cursing and making derogatory comments to us and about the department,\u201d Officer A. Reed said in a report. \u201cShe repeatedly stated we were \u2018fucking incompetent\u2019 and \u2018this is no way to treat a fucking US Representative.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Officer E.C. Southers confirmed Mace said \u201cTim Scott would not be fucking treated this way,\u201d referring to South Carolina\u2019s junior senator. Both officers noted Mace continued cursing during the entire walk to gate B-8.<\/p>\n

An American Airlines gate agent told officers he was \u201cin disbelief\u201d at Mace\u2019s behavior. TSA Supervisor Johnny Lynch said Mace spoke to TSA agents the same way and planned to report her conduct to his superiors.<\/p>\n

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is running against Mace in the GOP gubernatorial primary, demanded she apologize. \u201cLaw enforcement and TSA agents show up every day to protect the public, and right now they\u2019re not even getting paid. They deserve respect and appreciation. Not profanity. Not threats. Not tantrums,\u201d Wilson said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Mace responded on X saying, \u201cI wish Alan Wilson spent as much time prosecuting pedophiles as he does spying on me at the airport.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Source; Daily Caller<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Federal Agent Shot at a Driver in D.C. An MPD Officer Was Told To Omit … Stupid people of the week<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":175773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[209,185,227,603],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teh-stoopid","category-crime","category-police","category-stupid-criminals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/664"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=175769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/175773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=175769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=175769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=175769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}