Active Duty Soldier Illegally Disarmed and Arrested

[alp227]

A friend posted this on Facebook last night. By today it has nearly 750k+ views on YouTube. I think I gotta post this to get your reactions as this video is making the rounds online in the wake of a gun control debate in the nation.

Video:

Description:

On March 16, 2013, my son and I were hiking along country roads among pastures and fields with my 15-year old son to help him earn his hiking merit badge. I always enjoy these father/son hikes because it gives me time alone with my son. As I always do when we go on these hikes and walks, I took my trusty rifle with me as there are coyotes, wild hogs, and cougars in our area. In Texas, it is legal to openly carry a rifle or shotgun as long as you do so in a manner that isn't calculated to cause alarm. In other words, you can't walk around waving your rifle at people. I always carry my rifle slung across my chest dangling, not holding it in my hands.

At about the 5 mile mark of our hike, a voice behind us asked us to stop and the officer motioned for us to approach him. He got out of his car and met us a few feet later. He asked us what we were doing and I explained that we were hiking for my son's merit badge. He then asked me what I'm doing with the rifle, to which I responded in a calm manner, "Does it matter, officer? Am I breaking the law?"

At that point, the officer grabbed my rifle without warning or indication. He didn't ask for my rifle and he didn't suggest he would take it from me. He simply grabbed it. This startled me and I instantly pulled back - the rifle was attached to me - and I asked what he thought he was doing because he's not taking my rifle. He then pulled his service pistol on me and told me to take my hands off the weapon and move to his car, which I complied with. He then slammed me into the hood of his car and I remembered I had a camera on me (one of the requirements of the hiking merit badge is to document your hikes). This video is the rest of that encounter. Up to this point, I am not told why I am being stopped, why he tried to disarm me, or even that I'm under arrest.

We did not set out that Saturday morning to "make a point" or cause problems. Our goal was to complete a 10-mile hike and return home without incident. My son chose a route that away from populated areas but near our home.

The arresting officer is Officer Steve Ermis and the supervisor is Sergeant Minnicks of the Temple Police Department.

The video poster then links to an Indie Go Go page "2nd Amendment Legal Defense Fund".

Geez, for a 15 year old kid to see his own father get mistreated by two cops like this? At least he was able to get it on camera. You can hear him sobbing at the end as his dad tells him to call lawyer Brett Pritchard.

(The man's name is C.J. Grisham, a Master Sgt in the Army.)

The one non wingnut source I can find is local TV station KCEN reporting:

Army Master Sergeant and well known blogger CJ Grisham says he never should have been arrested and his guns never should have been taken away.

On March 16, Grisham was on a Boy Scout hike with his son on a country road in west Temple.

He had a loaded assault style rifle strapped across his chest.

It was legal for him to carry, but a concerned citizen called police.

His Lawyer Kurt Glass says, "This was not a populated area. SGT Grisham was not threatening anyone."

Police say when their officer arrived, he tried to take Grisham's gun for the course of the investigation, but that Grisham refused.

Glass says, "We believe that SGT Grisham complied with police officers' request and was still arrested."

If someone called 911 on Grisham then the officer should've just explained to Grisham.

[elleng]

1. Police could have and should have handled this much differently.

[Arctic Dave]

2. Weird. Not once did they try to block the person videotaping.

Almost like it is a set up.

[defacto7]

4. interesting point. n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Maybe the cops think being a rude toter is a crime

This was in a pretty podunk area and clearly the cops thought they were with the law, which they clearly were not.

[defacto7]

3. A terrible lesson his son learned about authority.

Is there a scout badge for unlearning respect for the law?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. A bit more on this one and something similar in a nearby jurisdiction

http://excoplawstudent.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/are-police-in-bell-county-texas-violating-citizens-rights/

excoplawstudent is active on PINAC and has a good take on these kinds of things. In both cases the cops clearly exceeded their authority and broke the law.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

7. What does "Soldier" or "Active Duty Soldier" have to do with this?

[Arctic Dave]

8. This entire thing seems shady.

I will go out on a limb and say this is bullshit.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. Its getting fairly broad coverage

http://excoplawstudent.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/are-police-in-bell-county-texas-violating-citizens-rights/ has an interesting take and its not what you would expect

[sweetloukillbot]

10. It doesn't feel right to me either...

He was videotaping the entire walk, but doesn't have the cop first stopping him on tape? His reaction when the cop asks him why he's carrying is essentially "none of your beeswax"? Jeez, one time I was playing lazer tag somewhere I shouldn't have been and when the cops showed up I set the gun down on the ground and said it was a toy, because I didn't want to get shot by mistake? Granted, I was trespassing at the time, but if a cop is coming and asking questions, the best course is probably not to get in a pissing match with them.

He doesn't mention the concealed pistol until he's being frisked?

At the same time... The officers don't remove the magazine from the rifle once the confiscate it? They just kind of stand around waving it?

[Historic NY]

15. Sure sound like its a setup ..........

if he was acting like that, how was he acting before the camera was on then. Hiking merit badge yeah okay.....with a video camera.

[Veilex]

29. Very probably a set up...

Taken at face value, if someone is indeed carrying a firearm, particularly an assault rifle, through a neighborhood as the cops suggested, that qualifies as a public disturbance and is sufficient reason to detain and investigate further.

That aside, the whole video seems fascicle.

[sarge43]

13. Not a damn thing

Considering his backstory, my crap detector just went red line.

[iamthebandfanman]

11. Heres his twitter page

https://twitter.com/cjgrisham

[bowens43]

12. walking around with a rifle and a 45? The asshole should be in jail.

this kind of gun mentality is exactly what is wrong with country.

[erpowers]

14. My Problems With This Video

My first problem with this video is the father said after he was slammed against the car he remembered that in order for his son's hike to count it had to be recorded so he turned on his camera. If he and his son were on a hike that had to be recorded why did he only turn on the camera after he had supposedly be slammed against a police car? Why was the camera not on during the whole hike? Why was the whole altercation not captured on camera?

Because the camera was only started after he was supposedly slammed against the car the viewer of this video is not able to see if the police officer asked this man to stop walking and the man refused. The viewer also cannot see what the police officer said or did not say when he first attempted to take the gun from this man. It is very possible that the police officer tried to explain to this man what was going before the camera started recording the event.

Second, the man keeps asking why he is being detained. However, the police officers, tell him numerous times that he has been detained because they (the police) are trying to determine if he can legally have the rifle because people in the community called the police stating they felt threatened by someone walking with a rifle and if someone calls the police they (the police) have the right to investigate in order to find out what is happening.

[aandegoons]

16. Me thinks he is going to have something to answer for when he gets back to base.

And if anyone at all thinks you should not call the police with a man with an assault style weapon has a young boy with him strolling down country roads I don't know what to say.

[aandegoons]

17. Is this the same guy?

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20091208/OFFDUTY02/912080301/The-rise-and-fall-of-a-military-blogger


Odd friends you keep.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

18. So he's had a self-promotion hobby for a while. And even been given a nickname "Chicken Hawk."

According to the 2009 article,

"Last summer Grisham got into hot water when someone complained to officials that he encouraged readers to vote against gun control measures, called for a wholesale changing of the guard in Congress and questioned Obama's truthfulness."

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20091208/OFFDUTY02/912080301/The-rise-and-fall-of-a-military-blogger

Supposedly, he's a bronze star recipient who "took down a squad of Iraqis" by himself.

"He earned the Bronze Star with "V" after rushing through the gunfire by himself with just a 9mm pistol and a hand grenade."

But when a search is conducted for the name "Grisham" in the Military Times Hall of Valor database, his name cannot be found. Only four "Grisham" names can be found and none of the individuals received a bronze star.
http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/search.php?term=Grisham

He says that his "Chicken Hawk" nickname was given to him in an adulatory way. One that was purportedly given to him because of his skill in using a pugil-stick during training to repeatedly take down a bigger guy.

Guess what. He also wants people to know that he was in Army Intelligence.

He needs help. And a new hobby.

[sarge43]

21. "He needs help."

Especially with that beer gut he's packing. Max weight for an Army active duty male, 36/37 years old, height 5 foot, is 139. If he's under 139, I'll turn in my Miss America tiara.

Given the Army's rigorous physical standards, this story is getting smellier by the minute.

[TatonkaJames]

19. Why didn't I see this type of treatment

When gun nuts displayed the same weapons outside venues when Obama was speaking during the campaign ?
I guess a walk in the country was more threatening then masses of people and the president speaking.
How F'd up is this country right now ?

[Ed Suspicious]

20. Bullshit NRA theater. I call false on the whole thing. Its made to frighten gunnutters that

in Obama's America they're coming for your guns. Seriously skeptical about this. Especially in Tejas.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

22. Bullshit, yes. But "NRA theater"?

According to Gallup, only 4% of Americans think gun control is an important problem.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/161813/few-guns-immigration-nation-top-problems.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=All%20Gallup%20Headlines%20-%20Politics

This is down from the 6% number in February:


It's not clear that he is an NRA spokesman, NRA official, or even a member of the NRA.

[blackspade]

23. I have no sympathy for either the cops or this gun nut....

in this case.

[Paul E Ester]

25. +1

[papa3times]

24. This guy acted like a total dick

and the police officer was responding to people calling in to someone carrying a gun that looked like a very dangerous weapon. He had a concealed 45 on his hip yet he had to display another weapon to show how fucking macho he is. I think the pistol would have been plenty of protections against coyotes and wild pigs and no one would have been alarmed at something they couldn't see. If he would have not been such a prick to the police, I don't believe the situation would have gotten to this point. I hope he spends a bunch of money on attorneys for a civil action and loses. The police can't be too careful, they never know what they are dealing with and this fuck head was being a prick, plain and simple. I have no sympathy for him.

[Dustlawyer]

26. The cop should not have just grabbed for the weapon, but just the same, this guy could have handled

this better as well. The cops are right that in today's times, there are a lot of crazies and in their shoes I would have disarmed 1st and asked questions later. The man is REQUIRED by the law that he likes to quote to immediately notify the officer that he has a concealed weapon and hand over his permit, without being asked by the officer. That was part of the class that he took. He broke the law at that point. As far as coyotes, wild hogs and cougars, they are only out at night. His main danger would be people's dogs. His pistol is more than enough for this purpose, he just wanted to play with his big toy. I do not have any sympathy for him, those cops have a tough job, they get lied to all shift and they are trained to not take any chances so they can go home every day.

[dtfleming]

27. His arrest is appropriate

Some dick carrying an assault rifle and act belligerent to the cops who is responsible for public safety. Why is anyone surprised this ass was arrested? Mostly we see lunatics with assault rifles when they are on the way to shoot people. This guy was asking for it.

[SunSeeker]

28. Agreed. And welcome to DU, dtfleming!

[hrmjustin]

30. Welcome to DU dtfleming!

[marble falls]

31. I've become a lot more gun controlish in the last year. I don't care generally for cops...

but this guy was an asshat looking for a confrontation. Much as I hate saying it: the cop handled it about right.