HI ALL; I live very close to where the family involved resides and within a 100 miles of where this event took place.
It seems to me that this event compared to my actual experiences with the law enforcement in this area is really not uncommon.
I had the pleasure of being stopped in similar "john wayne" style in Sept 1998. They were searching for a drunken perp, 30 yaers my junior, driving a different colored vehicle, wearing different colored clothes, etc. I was stopped by a cobination of 9 vehicles from several different departments. Every one of the officer had drawn guns. The lead officer went through his stop routine...Hands up...etc. He was so nervous that as he was instructing me to exit the vehicle, he neglected to tell me to remove my seat belt[I like all lawabidding drivers had mine on]. I had to yell 3 times about the seat belt, he each time ignoring my plea[by this time I REALLY expected to get shot]. Finally an officer hiding in the weeds in the median relayed my plight to the officer. I was cuffed, told I was NOT under arrest and being held for ...I really don't remember what he said. After a period of time an experienced local officer arrived and IMMEDIATELY told all concerned that I was not the one they wanted and said to release me. The "lead" officer still argued to hold me. Eventually I was turned loose. You cannot believe how relieved I was to get away and not have been shot. These guys were on the ragged edge and wanted BLOOD.
The guy they were looking for was DRUNK, and had tried to rob a McDonalds with a PUTTY KNIFE.
A PUTTY KNIFE......9 guns to arrest someone with a PUTTY KNIFE......Western North Carolina/Eastern Tenn. is NOT the place to be pulled over.
Being treated as I was, a local resident, and hearing this incident about the dog, caused me not to even blink. The family should be GREATFUL that these idiots did not shoot them!!!!!
mike[of the if I didn't live here I would not visit here class!]
