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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Police beat Pulaski deputies encounter 'sovereign citizen'

Posted by Max Brantley on Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 10:27 AM

JEFFERY HYNSON

I can't think of a better way to encourage sympathy for law officers than to read this detailed report of a Pulaski County sheriff's traffic stop. It began as a speeding case. But it turned out the driver — Jeffery Hynson, 30, of Alexander — proclaimed himself a "sovereign citizen," according to the sheriff's incident report. The report said he disputed law officers' ability to stop him and tore up a traffic ticket, which got a littering charge added to a long list of offenses, including marijuana possession.

Read the extensive accident narrative. In the face of the behavior described, it sounds as if the deputies showed remarkable restraint. Excerpt:

En route to the jail, post Miranda, I asked Mr. Hynson how he became a "Sovereign Citizen" and he told me the "Internet." He also stated he read books and watched films about it on YouTube. Mr. Hynson stated that he was "not bound by the United States Constitution or Statutory Laws of the United States." He went on to say that all people have a right to travel and that he did not need documentation to do so. He also said speeding was of no consequence, that he had "over 30 tickets" and that he didn't understand how the government could fine him.

While at the jail, when asked about any medical conditions he may have, Mr. Hynson stated he had been diagnosed with "Impulsive Control Disorder" and was taking medication for this disorder. When asked to explain what this was, he stated he gets "uncontrollably angry very quickly and makes bad decisions."

UPDATE June 28: Hynson disputes many elements of the sheriff's office report, beginning with the allegation of speeding. He said he had not called himself a "sovereign citizen," but a "U.S. citizen" because he thought the officer who stopped him had exceeded his authority in several ways. He contends the marijuana was planted and said he intends to sue the sheriff's office over the arrest.

Hynson said he did not resist or fight with officers and says he didn't refuse to provide license and insurance, only questioned why they were being sought. He said he tore up the ticket because the deputy threw it at him. He writes: "If I truly did resist them they wouldn't [have] been able to have handcuffed me at all. This report is absurd and everyone has turned against me when none of it is true. I never said i learned about it on the internet or that i didn't believe in the laws this is just ridiculous. The police and sheriffs shouldn't be commended they should be fired for what they did."

Tags: Jeffery Hynson, sovereign citizen, Pulaski County sheriff

        
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