Pastor arrested while watering plants can now sue officers and city, judges rule

JustaPewFiller said:

A few observations that are nothing but my two cents...

What I got from this was he was a good neighbor, doing a good deed who just happened to be a pastor.

I wonder how in the world the other neighbor that called the cops could have not known him. A good reason to get to know your neighbors.

Could the whole thing have been avoided if everyone involved had cooler heads all the way around? I think that is likely. But, based on the court's ruling the pastor knew the law better than the cops and the obstruction charge seemed to be more a "contempt of cop" charge than anything else.

For those interested, the full 20min bodycam is here ->

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Yarddog said:

It's hard to say without all the information but the Rev. is a former police officer and there may have been some issues involving racial relationships with the police in this town before.

The woman who called admitted that the Rev. and the owner of the house were friends and it was probably her fault. The officers still arrested the Rev. even though there was no probable cause.

Their investigation showed nothing illegal and the arrest was for failure to identify which he didn't have to identify unless a crime had been committed.

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Michie said:

A screenshot from bodycam video released by the Childersburg Police Department shows Pastor Michael Jennings watering his neighbors flowers in Childersburg, Ala., May 22, 2022, shortly before his arrest. | Screengrab/YouTube/WBRC 6 News


Michael Jennings, a black pastor who was arrested while watering his neighbor’s plants in Childersburg, Alabama, two years ago can now sue the officers involved in his arrest, along with the city of Childersburg, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled Friday.

The ruling reverses a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Jennings, accusing Officers Christopher Smith and Justin Gable, as well as Sgt. Jeremy Brooks and the city of violating his constitutional rights which protect him from unlawful arrest and guarantees free speech, al.com reported.

A 20-minute body camera video of the May 2022 arrest of Jennings, who leads the Vision of Abundant Life Ministries in Sylacauga, shows him being confronted by the officers after he was reported by a white neighbor for watering the garden of a friend who was out of town at the time. Though Jennings identified himself as a pastor and told the officers he was caring for his neighbors' plants, and that he lived across the street, he was arrested without probable cause.

Continued below.

Pastor arrested while watering plants can now sue officers and city, judges rule

Michael Jennings, a black pastor who was arrested while watering his neighbor s plants two years ago, can now sue the officers involved in his arrest along with the city of Childersburg a three-judge

www.christianpost.com

Click to expand...

JustaPewFiller said:

Yup - that's why I said.. "the obstruction charge seemed to be more a "contempt of cop" charge than anything else."

In other words, he stood up to them, they didn't like it and they arrested him for it under an obstruction charge. It happens.
The pastor is one of the more fortunate ones to be able to fight it and win.

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BPPLEE said:

Idiots like this should not be in law enforcement

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Michie said:

A screenshot from bodycam video released by the Childersburg Police Department shows Pastor Michael Jennings watering his neighbors flowers in Childersburg, Ala., May 22, 2022, shortly before his arrest. | Screengrab/YouTube/WBRC 6 News


Michael Jennings, a black pastor who was arrested while watering his neighbor’s plants in Childersburg, Alabama, two years ago can now sue the officers involved in his arrest, along with the city of Childersburg, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled Friday.

The ruling reverses a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Jennings, accusing Officers Christopher Smith and Justin Gable, as well as Sgt. Jeremy Brooks and the city of violating his constitutional rights which protect him from unlawful arrest and guarantees free speech, al.com reported.

A 20-minute body camera video of the May 2022 arrest of Jennings, who leads the Vision of Abundant Life Ministries in Sylacauga, shows him being confronted by the officers after he was reported by a white neighbor for watering the garden of a friend who was out of town at the time. Though Jennings identified himself as a pastor and told the officers he was caring for his neighbors' plants, and that he lived across the street, he was arrested without probable cause.

Continued below.

Pastor arrested while watering plants can now sue officers and city, judges rule

Michael Jennings, a black pastor who was arrested while watering his neighbor s plants two years ago, can now sue the officers involved in his arrest along with the city of Childersburg a three-judge

www.christianpost.com

Click to expand...