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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumsdriving while black with cough drops
long sad tale of how trooper Michael Gagnon and John Dailey locked up two men for weeks for having cough drops and suffered no consequences. Sadist Sergeant David Nims participated also.https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2021/06/15/cough-drops-arrest/
The next day, at a hearing for the case, Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Cook officially dropped the prosecutions of both men. [D]ismissal of this case is in the interests of justice, he wrote in a filing. Suddenly, the charges and the case were gone. Torres had spent close to six weeks in jail, lost his job, missed two of his childrens birthdays, and spent upward of $10,000 on an attorneyall for absolutely nothing.
There would be no consequences for Dailey and Gagnon, however. Even though they had locked two men up and charged them with felonies on the basis of no substantiated evidence, they have faced no discipline.
In fact, the state police stand by their work. In a statement, Procopio said the state police commonly see powder narcotics pressed into pill or tablet form and that the white substances contained in the Halls wrappers were consistent in appearance with suspected illegal narcotics. When asked about the discrepancy between the weights recorded by the police and the forensic scientist, Procopio said, I presume the weight on the police report is the gross weight of all five [ovals] with their packaging material. It is not clear why packaging would count toward the official weight of narcoticsnor is it clear whether the packaging even weighed enough to account for the discrepancy.
The state police do not claim to have any evidence in the case besides the five Halls cough drops and the male sexual enhancement pills, which the forensic scientist Erin Finch also tested, confirming that they indeed contained medications commonly used for erectile dysfunction. Based on the totality of circumstances, Procopio wrote, the Troopers acted appropriately and lawfully in stopping the vehicle and charging the occupants.
cayugafalls
(5,631 posts)There is nothing I can say.
unblock
(51,974 posts)Hell of a standard, that.
Consistent in appearance with perfectly legal pills, too.
Hey, driving a sedan is consistent with transporting the corpse of your latest murder victim, so I guess they can charge just about anyone with a felony....
secondwind
(16,903 posts)Throwing them into the slammer for weeks is another.
I hope theres a lawsuit.
Buckeye_Democrat
(14,848 posts)... condition (that I don't recall) injected himself in the arm with medicine, first applying a tourniquet.
He looked like someone injecting himself with illegal drugs, and I joked that he should do that publicly someday with a cop in the area. Then act surprised to see the cop and calmly drive away.
He didn't think that would turn out to be a funny prank for him, and I agreed it would probably be a bad idea.
After various reports about cops in recent years, I'm glad that he dismissed the idea. He might've been shot before clearing up any misunderstanding!
Faux pas
(14,583 posts)and
Bayard
(21,806 posts)And they pulled them over again while they were leaving the prison!! Pure harrassment.
All for outdated cough drops.
demigoddess
(6,640 posts)if they can do this they can stop you and arrest you for anything. Have a milkshake in your car? You might be drinking and driving!!??