Cabot man arrested for impersonating a deputy sheriff. A.K.A KF5OBS

[EEVblog]

Our justice system can be too harsh. I hope the outcome will be fair and reasonable.

From everything I read and here about the privatisation of US jail system, and the statistics showing why the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, I have doubts the result will be "fair and reasonable".

[Macbeth]

It's listed on one of the charges if you Google his name.

Charges:   FORGERY 1ST DEGREEQ
CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION
CONTRIBUTING TO DELINQUENCY OF A MINOR
KNOWINGLY GIVE ALCOHOL TO MINOR 1ST

COMPUTER EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD
Bond:   $15,000.00

I don't see any Child Pornography charges. I see a whole lot of shit that could be levelled at someone who allowed a 17 year and 364 day old teenager to take a sip from a bottle of light beer at a house party though.

[sleemanj]

It's listed on one of the charges if you Google his name.

Charges:   FORGERY 1ST DEGREEQ
CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION
CONTRIBUTING TO DELINQUENCY OF A MINOR
KNOWINGLY GIVE ALCOHOL TO MINOR 1ST

COMPUTER EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD
Bond:   $15,000.00

I don't see any Child Pornography charges. I see a whole lot of shit that could be levelled at someone who allowed a 17 year and 364 day old teenager to take a sip from a bottle of light beer at a house party though.

FWIW, the last charge is:
http://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2010/title-5/subtitle-3/chapter-27/subchapter-6/5-27-605

but we should all remember, this is the US, we all know how trigger happy the US is, especially the further south you go, on calling somebody a sex offender.

[G0HZU]

You need to be careful of what you link to because that link also lists definitions of nasty stuff he definitely ISN'T being charged with.

It could be as mild/simple as having three jpgs on a HDD that could be interpreted as 'explicit' in the bible belt of the USA. It's up to the cops to decide I guess?

[iampoor]

It's listed on one of the charges if you Google his name.

Charges:   FORGERY 1ST DEGREEQ
CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION
CONTRIBUTING TO DELINQUENCY OF A MINOR
KNOWINGLY GIVE ALCOHOL TO MINOR 1ST

COMPUTER EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD
Bond:   $15,000.00

I don't see any Child Pornography charges. I see a whole lot of shit that could be levelled at someone who allowed a 17 year and 364 day old teenager to take a sip from a bottle of light beer at a house party though.

Actually in the US it would be a 20 year old and 364 day old child. 

[timb]

It's listed on one of the charges if you Google his name.

Charges:   FORGERY 1ST DEGREEQ
CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION
CONTRIBUTING TO DELINQUENCY OF A MINOR
KNOWINGLY GIVE ALCOHOL TO MINOR 1ST

COMPUTER EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD
Bond:   $15,000.00

I don't see any Child Pornography charges. I see a whole lot of shit that could be levelled at someone who allowed a 17 year and 364 day old teenager to take a sip from a bottle of light beer at a house party though.

FWIW, the last charge is:
http://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2010/title-5/subtitle-3/chapter-27/subchapter-6/5-27-605

but we should all remember, this is the US, we all know how trigger happy the US is, especially the further south you go, on calling somebody a sex offender.

The whole "Sex Offender Registry" thing in the US is disgusting. There are many, many ways you can get on it other than being a pedo/rapist. Say you're drunk and get busted for taking a piss in an alley; they can charge you with indecent exposure, boom on the registry.

I have a friend who, when he was in college (20) stated dating dating (what he thought was) a 18 year old Senior in High School. Turns out she was really 15 and had a fake ID. I actually met her and let me tell you, she didn't look 15! Well, her dad found out she was dating my friend, had him arrested, charged with statutory rape, etc.

Luckily for my friend, his family could afford a good lawyer. The DA later dropped the charges. If not, his life would have been ruined.

Anyway, in this case it looks like KF5OBS is being charged with possessing digital child porn; however it's fairly easy to set someone up for this, either by hacking their PC, or simply sending a *single* picture to their phone via text message. Even if the person immediately deletes it and never requested it, they can still be charged. The CP laws are *very* broadly worded.

[EEVblog]

Actually in the US it would be a 20 year old and 364 day old child. 

Insane 

[G0HZU]

I think he may be completely on his own here because I think he was divorced recently and few (if any?) people seem to be on his side...

Even his house mate seems to have told the police that he has pretended to be a policeman on numerous occasions. This is written in the court files.

The alcohol charge claims that all of the guests had their names written on the cups they were drinking from. Is that a USA thing? Do you guys write your names on your plastic cups at a party? The cops found the cups, said they could smell booze in the cups and then married up the cup names to the (under 21yr old?) guests.

What is it with the USA? I bet these guests can have a rifle but they can't drink beer at a party if they are 20 years old?

[EEVblog]

The cops found the cups, said they could smell booze in the cups and then married up the cup names to the (under 21yr old?) guests.

Wow, is that all?
Here in Australia it's not illegal for a minor (18, not 21) to drink alcohol at a private party.
You might get a slap on the wrist if you host a party and don't have the kids parents permission and you know they are underage, and don't provide adequate supervision.
And even if you do fall foul of our liquor laws it's never a jailable offence, just a fine.
America is crazy.

[EEVblog]

Even his house mate seems to have told the police that he has pretended to be a policeman on numerous occasions. This is written in the court files.

This is probably the worst thing?
Here in NSW it's not going to end well for you if you do that:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ca190082/s546d.html

[steverino]

I actually know of someone that was charged with possessing child porn on their computer.  I can't give all the details.  This person has fled the USA rather than face charges.  I offered to help the person's wife w.r.t. to getting a lawyer, etc.  We went to the local courthouse to get a copy of the official charges.  The police described finding photographs of a young girl (it was his niece, at the beach), where they claimed the photographer had focused the camera at the girls crotch area.  Note that the girl was not undressed.  Now I didn't see the photos, but if you read the report you definitely got the sense that the police were stretching the facts to meet their arrest warrant.

[G0HZU]

Wow, is that all?

I'm not really sure what to make of it all but it looks like there was a falling out during the housewarming party and then one or two guests complained to the cops about an incident during the party. I suspect that the cops must have thought christmas had come early for them. This is the same guy who is giving them grief through the courts asking frivolous questions and making various legal demands of the police dept!

So my guess is they milked the complainers for any dirt and the alcohol was then mentioned along with alleged sightings of fake cash (that was never found). Even his housemate grassed him up over the alcohol and told the cops about the fake sheriff ID etc. That's how they knew to look for the discarded cups in the bin with the names on them. What a mess...

[G0HZU]

Even his house mate seems to have told the police that he has pretended to be a policeman on numerous occasions. This is written in the court files.

This is probably the worst thing?
Here in NSW it's not going to end well for you if you do that:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ca190082/s546d.html

He's also likely to get a conviction for the fake driver's ID he (allegedly) provided for a 19yr old ladyfriend so she could go out drinking with him and pretend she was 21. They found several copies of her fake ID in his room. I think she is facing charges too?

It doesn't look good at all. But here in the UK it seems really odd that a 19 year old can't legally have a drink in a US nightclub anyway?

[gnavigator1007]

The cops found the cups, said they could smell booze in the cups and then married up the cup names to the (under 21yr old?) guests.

Wow, is that all?
Here in Australia it's not illegal for a minor (18, not 21) to drink alcohol at a private party.
You might get a slap on the wrist if you host a party and don't have the kids parents permission and you know they are underage, and don't provide adequate supervision.
And even if you do fall foul of our liquor laws it's never a jailable offence, just a fine.
America is crazy.

Yes America is crazy. The law books are so swollen from overreacting to individual events that make the news. There is always this response that "we have to do something about this" and politicians need to be seen taking action. The law paints in such broad brush strokes here and a large portion of our population has become accustomed to being criminalized for trivial matters.  I remember many years ago as a teenager going to parties (I probably shouldn't have been attending) and being amazed that law enforcement would show up and try to arrest anyone of legal drinking age for supplying minors with alcohol. Their arrival always resulted in a mad rush by the underage to flee the scene and if not, they were told they had to leave. Effectively, this meant that by trying to prevent underage drinking, they caused a large number of party goers to get behind the wheel intoxicated. Bear in mind people could get their license age 16 here but can't legally drink until 21. Parents present at such a party could end up losing custody of their children on top of all the other legal issues. It was and is still common enough and parties continue. What exactly they're celebrating I've never understood. USA! USA! USA! Or something...

[timb]

The cops found the cups, said they could smell booze in the cups and then married up the cup names to the (under 21yr old?) guests.

Wow, is that all?
Here in Australia it's not illegal for a minor (18, not 21) to drink alcohol at a private party.
You might get a slap on the wrist if you host a party and don't have the kids parents permission and you know they are underage, and don't provide adequate supervision.
And even if you do fall foul of our liquor laws it's never a jailable offence, just a fine.
America is crazy.

Yes America is crazy. The law books are so swollen from overreacting to individual events that make the news. There is always this response that "we have to do something about this" and politicians need to be seen taking action. The law paints in such broad brush strokes here and a large portion of our population has become accustomed to being criminalized for trivial matters.  I remember many years ago as a teenager going to parties (I probably shouldn't have been attending) and being amazed that law enforcement would show up and try to arrest anyone of legal drinking age for supplying minors with alcohol. Their arrival always resulted in a mad rush by the underage to flee the scene and if not, they were told they had to leave. Effectively, this meant that by trying to prevent underage drinking, they caused a large number of party goers to get behind the wheel intoxicated. Bear in mind people could get their license age 16 here but can't legally drink until 21. Parents present at such a party could end up losing custody of their children on top of all the other legal issues. It was and is still common enough and parties continue. What exactly they're celebrating I've never understood. USA! USA! USA! Or something...

It's a bunch of "THINK OF THE CHILDRENS!!1one" scaremongering.

Consider this: At 17 you can enlist in the military and die in the desert for a lie, but you can't (legally) drink alcohol. That's fucking insane.

[G0HZU]

To give some idea of how different it was in my day here in the UK, I can remember my parents letting me stay in our old house for several days on my own as we moved to another property in another town. Obviously, I invited my mates around and we were all just 15-16 years old. The house was essentially empty and without power but my job was to mind the house and sleep in a caravan in the garden until the move was complete. I think my parents were worried about squatters and if someone would steal the caravan.

So there we were, four schoolkids playing cards, drinking cider and lager and smoking cigarettes in the empty house. A concerned neighbour called the cops thinking we were burglars and the house got surrounded by several police officers. We were caught bang to rights, pissed up and merry on cheap booze and fags but the cops really couldn't give a shit. They were just relieved that we weren't burglars and this meant less paperwork and no need for a chase and a scuffle.

[ebclr]

Actually i don't know if the big Liability you have in any area is worth the live in america.

The onus no more compensate the bonus....

[Macbeth]

To give some idea of how different it was in my day here in the UK, I can remember my parents letting me stay in our old house for several days on my own as we moved to another property in another town. Obviously, I invited my mates around and we were all just 15-16 years old. The house was essentially empty and without power but my job was to mind the house and sleep in a caravan in the garden until the move was complete. I think my parents were worried about squatters and if someone would steal the caravan.

So there we were, four schoolkids playing cards, drinking cider and lager and smoking cigarettes in the empty house. A concerned neighbour called the cops thinking we were burglars and the house got surrounded by several police officers. We were caught bang to rights, pissed up and merry on cheap booze and fags but the cops really couldn't give a shit. They were just relieved that we weren't burglars and this meant less paperwork and no need for a chase and a scuffle.

Probably because it's not illegal to drink alcohol in the UK as a minor, especially on your own property. It's also not illegal to supply your child with alcohol providing they are at least 5 years old 

Good times, though I'm sure your parents could have been prosecuted for child neglect or something in this over-nannying day and age.

[setq]

I used to brew my own cider when I was 14 here in the UK (bread yeast, cheap apple juice, sugar in a coke bottle warmed by the hot exhaust of a 486 PC). Also purchasing fireworks, alcohol, knives, chemicals. Not a sausage from the police. I got stopped once at the age of 15 with a good old suspicious teenage classic; the "Head bag" packed full of air bombs, white lightning (cheap cider) and some home made "special fireworks". They took a look in it and told me not to set them off on the park in case I set fire to something and made me pour the cider down a drain and put the cans in a bin.

Glad I don't live in the US. I'd probably be in prison or something.

None of this did me any harm in the long run!

[ebclr]

Probably you will be like this guy

[G0HZU]

On a serious note...

If we assume that (in the real grown up world) the forgery charges are actually fairly insignificant... the forgery 'motives' appear to be fairly lame ones. To get a girlfriend into a nightclub and to (probably harmlessly) impress a few locals that he is a sheriff. The 'alcohol to U21s at a party' charges are laughable to someone like me in the UK. It's not a big deal unless the cops want to make it a big deal I guess.

If we also ignore the cops' (probably lame) attempt to pin porn charges on him then it may be the case that he could be in trouble wrt keeping all his lab gear safe. If he really is on his own and stuck in a cell somewhere then he could get exploited here.

What will happen to all his lab gear? Will it get confiscated and sold at a pittance to a house clearance company? I get the impression that he's a tenant and not a homeowner...

[Barryg41]

Here in the southern state of Louisiana, its ok at any age to drink alcohol as long as your parents, spouse or guardian is present and approves.

Louisiana State Legislature Laws: (see 2.a.ii)

4. UNLAWFUL SALE, PURCHASE, AND POSSESSION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

§93.10. Definitions

For purposes of R.S. 14:93.10 through 93.14, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) "Purchase" means acquisition by the payment of money or other consideration. Purchase does not include such acquisition for medical purposes either when purchased as over the counter medication or when prescribed or administered by a licensed physician, pharmacist, dentist, nurse, hospital, or medical institution.

(2) "Public possession" means the possession of any alcoholic beverage for any reason, including consumption, on any street or highway or in any public place or any place open to the public, including a club which is de facto open to the public. "Public possession" does not include the following:

(a) The possession or consumption of any alcoholic beverage:

(i) For an established religious purpose.

(ii) When a person under twenty-one years of age is accompanied by a parent, spouse, or legal guardian twenty-one years of age or older.

(iii) For medical purposes when purchased as an over the counter medication, or when prescribed or administered by a licensed physician, pharmacist, dentist, nurse, hospital, or medical institution.

(iv) In private residences.

(b) The sale, handling, transport, or service in dispensing of any alcoholic beverage pursuant to lawful ownership of an establishment or to lawful employment of a person under twenty-one years of age by a duly licensed manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer of beverage alcohol.

(3) "Alcoholic beverage" means beer, distilled spirits, and wine containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume. Beer includes but is not limited to ale, lager, porter, stout, sake, and other similar fermented beverages brewed or produced from malt wholly or in part or from any substitute therefor. Distilled spirits include alcohol, ethanol, or spirits or wine in any form, including all dilutions and mixtures thereof from whatever process produced.

Acts 1995, No. 639, §1; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 78, §1.

[dr.diesel]

I was just wondering what happened to that guy. 

[Jwalling]

Here in the southern state of Louisiana, its ok at any age to drink alcohol as long as your parents, spouse or guardian is present and approves.

[snip]

I don't know if that's a good thing. There should be a cut-off age. A 5 year old is certainly not equipped to make a decision like that.

[Jwalling]

Here in the southern state of Louisiana, its ok at any age to drink alcohol as long as your parents, spouse or guardian is present and approves.

[snip]

I don't know if that's a good thing. There should be a cut-off age. A 5 year old is certainly not equipped to make a decision like that.

I think there is an assumption the parents aren't flaming idiots and are in the best postion to dertermine what their child can and can't do. These laws were made when people actually had common sense for the most part, now with creeping goverment intervention into peoples lifes, Darwin has been circumvented and idiots have been able to procreate.

As much as I wish that  were true, the flaming idiots do exist here. Witness every summer when some poor kid or baby get locked in a car with all the windows shut on a hot summer day and dies. Usually happens more than once every summer without fail.