Girl buys water, spends night in jail

[Nightfyre]

I found this story interesting/entertaining.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...181104442.html

Felony charges were dropped on Thursday against a 20-year-old University of Virginia student who says she panicked when undercover agents from the state's Alcohol Beverage Control division mistook her water purchase for beer.

According to Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress, the student, Elizabeth Daly, was walking to her car on April 11 at approximately 10:15 p.m. with a box of sparkling water, cookie dough and ice cream she had just bought from a local supermarket when the agents—six men and one woman, all in plainclothes—approached suspecting the box, a blue carton of LaCroix sparkling water, to be a 12-pack of beer. One jumped on the hood of her SUV; another pulled out a gun, Daly said, as her roommates seated inside looked on in horror.

"They were showing unidentifiable badges after they approached us, but we became frightened, as they were not in anything close to a uniform," Daly wrote in an account submitted to the court. "I couldn't put my windows down unless I started my car, and when I started my car they began yelling to not move the car, not to start the car. They began trying to break the windows. My roommates and I were ... terrified."

Daly's roommate in the front passenger seat told her to "go, go, go"—and that's what she did, apparently "grazing" two of the agents in the process.

The students called 911 as they left the parking lot, police said, and were pulled over by another agent driving a vehicle with lights and sirens, Charlottesville Commonwealth Attorney Dave Chapman told the paper.

Daly apologized when she realized who they were, Chapman said, but agents arrested Daly and charged her with two counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer and one count of eluding police—each carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $2,500 in fines. She spent the night in Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

"This has been an extremely trying experience," Daly wrote. "It is something to this day I cannot understand or believe has come to this point."

Either can Chapman.

"It wouldn't be the right thing to do to prosecute this," he said.

Nonetheless, Chapman "stood by the agents' decision to file charges, citing faith in a process that yielded an appropriate resolution."

"You don't know all the facts until you complete the investigation," he said.

Is it common practice to draw a weapon on an underage person suspected of purchasing alcohol?

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by Donger

Wait, let me check with my fellow shills at NSA and CIA, and get back to you on that. In the interim, how exactly am I being a dumb ass on this topic?



I think the girls over-reacted, yes. The agents? Perhaps, but I'll reserve judgment on that.

Heck, the girls have admitted that already. They were spooked over hearing the scary rape stories earlier that day. The weird part is that the female agent approached them first and they didn't cooperate with her.

Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Chapman read Daly's account and said it was factually consistent.

http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/bo...9bb30f31a.html

Quit being a douchebag. The cops charged the woman with 3 felonies. The PA not only isn't prosecuting the case, he's saying that the woman's story is true. Even the PA is making it clear that the cops screwed up.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Alex Smith HATER

What are the chances this was a drug bust in booze clothing?

Highly unlikely. State ABCs are chaged with enforcing state alcohol laws only.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Raiderhader

I didn't really think you were.

Good.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Donger

http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/lo...9bb30f31a.html

ABC spokeswoman Kathleen Shaw said in the agency statement released Friday afternoon that agents were working the area that night, concentrating on underage possession enforcement. Shaw said a female agent saw "what appeared to be an underage person in possession of what appeared to be a case of beer."

"The agent identified herself as a police officer and was displaying her badge," the statement said.

"Other agents did not join the incident until the subject refused to cooperate," ABC said. "Rather than comply with the officers' requests, the subject drove off, striking two officers."

"The agents were acting upon reasonable suspicion," the statement added.

No way she's biased...

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/bo...9bb30f31a.html

Quit being a douchebag. The cops charged the woman with 3 felonies. The PA not only isn't prosecuting the case, he's saying that the woman's story is true. Even the PA is making it clear that the cops screwed up.

I don't think you can reach that conclusion based on what we have right now, sorry.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by -King-

No way she's biased...

Meh. Just one side of the story, sure.

[suzzer99]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

dumb cops literally trained to spot alcohol. Zero chance they f up this badly.

Look at the picture and story, in a plastic bag that looks exactly like a 12 pack of beer. They may not have been familiar with the coloring of that brand as much as say Coke or Dr Pepper or something that would've easily shown through a plastic bag.

Definitely the cops were idiots in every part of this, which is why I'm sure they're more than happy to let the girl go without charges even though she struck officers with her car.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by Donger

I don't think you can reach that conclusion based on what we have right now, sorry.

Do you think the PA is lying?

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by Alex Smith HATER

Great job, CrazyCoffey.

And you think gay jokes are unimaginative?

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Literally nobody is going to buy their account of mistaking water for beer. I wonder what they were really up to.

This was not one of those shrink-wrapped cases of water. It was a carton that apparently looks just like a 12-pack from a distance.

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by alnorth

This was not one of those shrink-wrapped cases of water. It was a carton that apparently looks just like a 12-pack from a distance.

Ah...They should have come out firing, then, to protect the laws of the State...

[alnorth]

This girl is very, very lucky that it would have looked politically bad for the prosecutor to move ahead. She was a panicky overreacting idiot who deserved to suffer SOME kind of consequence for hitting them with her car.

The story in the OP might give you the impression that 7 people approached with guns drawn yelling, but thats not what happened. One female agent approached with a badge out, and she refused to comply.

If you are going to ignore a cop and flee, of course they are calling in backup and of course someone will have a gun out.

This whole "well, people can get a fake badge and impersonate a cop" excuse is crap. If one plainclothes female cop shows you a badge and wants to talk, you should be mindful of your civil rights, but at least be calm and listen to them.

[Garcia Bronco]

Originally Posted by alnorth

This was not one of those shrink-wrapped cases of water. It was a carton that apparently looks just like a 12-pack from a distance.

Doesn't matter. Look since I know about all of you have never spent any time in that town like me, this kind of behavior from police is over the line. This could have been handled so much better with a little common sense. There is no need to have armed guards chasing down 12 packs of 3.2 beer in that town with that kind of veracity.>>

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

Doesn't matter. Look since I know about all of you have never spent any time in that town like me, this kind of behavior from police is over the line. This could have been handled so much better with a little common sense. There is no need to have armed guards chasing down 12 packs of 3.2 beer in that town with that kind of veracity.>>

It was one cop, showing her badge, wanting to talk. That is not overreacting.

Once she decided to ignore the cop and leave, it is game on. The act of trying to evade a cop is probable cause to presume they are wanted or carrying something they shouldn't. (drugs, weapons, warrants, etc)

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by alnorth

It was one cop, showing her badge, wanting to talk. That is not overreacting.

Once she decided to ignore the cop and leave, it is game on. The act of trying to evade a cop is probable cause to presume they are wanted or carrying something they shouldn't. (drugs, weapons, warrants, etc)

That is the agency's side of the story. One side is lying. And with charges dropped and the city attorney claiming the young woman's account to be factual, it seems a bit naive to just take agency at their word.

As is usually the case, the truth is probably some where in the middle.