poledriver
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Lawyer offers guide to not getting arrested going to Bonnaroo
Washington County , Va., Sheriff Fred Newman is blunt when it comes to looking for out-of-state rock and roll fans heading to this weekend's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee .
Drug interdiction patrols on Interstate 81 aimed specifically at increased event traffic have already reaped several arrests and thousands of dollars in drugs after just one day, he said Thursday.
Newman said patrols began Wednesday and these yearly efforts are priorities in the fight against interstate drug activity and contraband in his locality.
“We already know that the country’s interstate system is one way drugs make their way into communities and we make sure our roadblocks are set,” Newman said.
“The stops begin because the suspects are in violation of traffic violations like speeding, but our officers are trained to look for drug activity or paraphernalia while the stop is in progress. Believe it or not, we have not had hardly any resist a consent search of their vehicle.
“If the officer smells an odor of marijuana coming from the car, then we start the investigation into other charges. We have our K-9 officer that specializes in drug discovery in use for the next few days. We send him around the vehicle and see if he strikes on something.”
Bonnaroo, entering its 11 th year and a festival that Rolling Stone magazine called one of the 50 moments that changed rock and roll, has such big names as Paul McCartney, Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Wu-Tang Clan, ZZ Top and Dwight Yoakam in its four-day lineup..
The sheriff said that a total of eight cases handled by his deputies Wednesday involved out-of-state drivers headed to Bonnaroo and in one of those instances, an arrest was made after cocaine and other narcotics were found.
Newman plans to keep patrols in effect all weekend.
“We also plan to keep an eye out when the crowds start coming back through Washington County when Bonnaroo is over on Sunday,” he said.
Bonnaroo or Bust
A Nashville lawyer who has posted a guide on how not to get arrested going to Bonnaroo has a warning for those traveling the roads, including our local interstates, to get to the Manchester , Tenn., party: “Police think it's open season.”
Attorney Rob McKinney says his years of practicing law never prepared him for the glut of criminal cases generated from Bonnaroo, which now has a portable courtroom and judge presiding over cases that same day for lawbreakers.
McKinney has also represented a number of clients who have been stopped on the interstates coming into Nashville and Manchester because he says officers at local and state levels are looking for any and all reasons to pull someone over.
“I passed a car on the interstate today and it had, ‘Bonnaroo Road Trip 2013,’ in the back window. That is a situation that is just asking for police to find a reason to pull them over,” McKinney said. “I see it every year. As people come in every year and if they look like they are in a VW Cheech and Chong van or bus, police will pull them over to search for drugs, driving while intoxicated or any other similar violation. That gets worse as you approach Manchester .
“It is profiling, but it is not illegal or unconstitutional to profile. The police know if they see a Greatful Dead, Phish or Dave Matthews Band sticker and they think they are going to Bonnaroo, they look for a traffic violation, pull them over and hope they smell something or they consent to a search or they admit something.”
Cont -
http://www.tricities.com/news/local/article_ed6e5de4-d485-11e2-bd70-001a4bcf6878.html
Washington County , Va., Sheriff Fred Newman is blunt when it comes to looking for out-of-state rock and roll fans heading to this weekend's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee .
Drug interdiction patrols on Interstate 81 aimed specifically at increased event traffic have already reaped several arrests and thousands of dollars in drugs after just one day, he said Thursday.
Newman said patrols began Wednesday and these yearly efforts are priorities in the fight against interstate drug activity and contraband in his locality.
“We already know that the country’s interstate system is one way drugs make their way into communities and we make sure our roadblocks are set,” Newman said.
“The stops begin because the suspects are in violation of traffic violations like speeding, but our officers are trained to look for drug activity or paraphernalia while the stop is in progress. Believe it or not, we have not had hardly any resist a consent search of their vehicle.
“If the officer smells an odor of marijuana coming from the car, then we start the investigation into other charges. We have our K-9 officer that specializes in drug discovery in use for the next few days. We send him around the vehicle and see if he strikes on something.”
Bonnaroo, entering its 11 th year and a festival that Rolling Stone magazine called one of the 50 moments that changed rock and roll, has such big names as Paul McCartney, Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Wu-Tang Clan, ZZ Top and Dwight Yoakam in its four-day lineup..
The sheriff said that a total of eight cases handled by his deputies Wednesday involved out-of-state drivers headed to Bonnaroo and in one of those instances, an arrest was made after cocaine and other narcotics were found.
Newman plans to keep patrols in effect all weekend.
“We also plan to keep an eye out when the crowds start coming back through Washington County when Bonnaroo is over on Sunday,” he said.
Bonnaroo or Bust
A Nashville lawyer who has posted a guide on how not to get arrested going to Bonnaroo has a warning for those traveling the roads, including our local interstates, to get to the Manchester , Tenn., party: “Police think it's open season.”
Attorney Rob McKinney says his years of practicing law never prepared him for the glut of criminal cases generated from Bonnaroo, which now has a portable courtroom and judge presiding over cases that same day for lawbreakers.
McKinney has also represented a number of clients who have been stopped on the interstates coming into Nashville and Manchester because he says officers at local and state levels are looking for any and all reasons to pull someone over.
“I passed a car on the interstate today and it had, ‘Bonnaroo Road Trip 2013,’ in the back window. That is a situation that is just asking for police to find a reason to pull them over,” McKinney said. “I see it every year. As people come in every year and if they look like they are in a VW Cheech and Chong van or bus, police will pull them over to search for drugs, driving while intoxicated or any other similar violation. That gets worse as you approach Manchester .
“It is profiling, but it is not illegal or unconstitutional to profile. The police know if they see a Greatful Dead, Phish or Dave Matthews Band sticker and they think they are going to Bonnaroo, they look for a traffic violation, pull them over and hope they smell something or they consent to a search or they admit something.”
Cont -
http://www.tricities.com/news/local/article_ed6e5de4-d485-11e2-bd70-001a4bcf6878.html
The cops were like don't worry it's just a 150 dollar ticket try to enjoy the show, yeah you just took my subs after I begged you not to like I'm going to be able to enjoy anything for 3 days after that