Becuase Everything Else Sucks

Virginia Couple Gets Lost in a Police State

By Manila Ryce
Published Thursday, May 18th, 2006, 10:56 pm
Filed under: Videos: Other, Society/Culture: Law/Order, Society/Culture, Videos

Joshua Kelly and Llara Brook were jailed in Baltimore for eight hours. Their crime? Asking a police officer for directions. Joshua said he went on a company picnic to see the Orioles play. After leaving the stadium the couple got lost and were relieved when they saw Officer Natalie Preston. Joshua then proceeded to ask the officer for directions to Interstate 95. “The first thing that she said to us was no — you just ran that stop sign, pull over,” Llara reports. “It wasn’t a big deal. We’ll pay the stop sign violation, but can we have directions?” Even still, the officer refused to give directions. The couple then spotted another police vehicle and flagged them down for directions. However, Officer Natalie Preston intervened between the two vehicles saying, “my partner is not going to step in front of me and tell you directions if I’m not.”

Joshua then drove 40 feet ahead, pulled alongside a curb, and put his hazard lights on while Llara called her father, who is a police officer, for directions. “(Llara’s father) was in the middle of giving us directions when the officer screeched up behind us and got out of the car and asked me to step out. I obeyed,” Joshua said. “I obeyed everything — stepped out of the car, put my hands behind my back, and the next thing I know, I was getting arrested for trespassing.” Llara then began to cry in frustration. She said to the officer, “Ma’am, you know, we just need your help. We are not trying to cause you any trouble. I’m not leaving him here.” In reply, Officer Preston walked over to Llara’s side of the car and said, “Ok, we are taking you downtown, too.”

After eight hours of exercising their authoritarian power, the police released the couple. They were not charged for trespassing because they were on a public road. The couple’s car was left at the impound lot, unlocked with the windows rolled down by police. Subsequently, 20 CDs, a cell phone charger, and pair of sunglasses were stolen. Llara is concerned the arrest may affect a criminal background check she’s currently undergoing at her job as a child care worker. Baltimore City police say they’re looking into the incident. I’m sure that’s a huge relief to this couple.

click to see interview

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3 Responses to “Virginia Couple Gets Lost in a Police State”

  1. oh my god, well, time to sue the cops!
    this is disgusting!

    DarkAngelJG
    05/18/06 at 11:25 pm

  2. Wow, no idea how I’d handle that kind of situation. I have a tendency to be a real jackass towards people in authority, I probably would have been batoned to death if someone tried to arrest me for asking for directions.

    Kaziglu Bey
    05/19/06 at 6:45 am

  3. i hate it when people exercise their authoritarian power just so it makes them feel important. this happens every now and then when i’m headed to the bar and the bouncer makes me do something completely irrational just because he can. get a fucking life!

    magicmike
    05/28/06 at 10:04 pm

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