Title: Court Officials Who Jailed a Veteran for Living Off-Grid Were “Just Doing Their Jobs” Source:
Daily Sheeple URL Source:http://www.thedailysheeple.com/cour ... e-just-doing-their-jobs_122016 Published:Dec 15, 2016 Author:Daisy Luther Post Date:2016-12-15 10:36:58 by Deckard Keywords:None Views:46475 Comments:123
Heres an entry for the Job-Doing Hall of Fame.
What if your job meant that you had to go arrest a guy who just wanted to live off the grid on his own land? What if that guy was a veteran? What if his only crime was refusing a service that he was supposed to pay for, like public water or utilities?
Is it actually acceptable to go to his place, kidnap him, and hold him against his will for that?
If YOU are the person who takes any of those actions, are you to blame if youre just doing your job?
Meet Tyler Truitt
Tyler Truitt is a veteran who owns two acres of land in Madison County, Alabama. He and his girlfriend live off-grid. They have a clean, well-cared-for home with solar panels and a rainwater collection system. They dont have loud parties, deal drugs, or do anything else that could be deemed anti-social.
Well, except refusing to tie into the grid.
And the government cant have that.
So, in the interest of keeping law and order in Indiana, a guy who served his country is being harassed by his local government because they deem that not having public utilities makes his home unsafe.
I dont know about you, but I think the unsafe part is the government officials that commit such crimes as trespassing, kidnapping, and extortion.
Truitt and his girlfriend arent hurting anyone. They arent endangering the welfare of their neighbors. They arent stealing, causing a public health hazard, or damaging anybodys property.
Theyre just living free.
Heres an interview with Tyler Truitt.
After this interview, Tyler ended up going to court and was put on probation for his crimes.
It gets worse. During his probation, he had the audacity to return to his home. His probation was revoked and last month, he was re-arrested. He spent 10 days, including Veterans Day, in jail, as punishment for living in his own home. Heres a screenshot of his booking paperwork.
This saga has been going on for months and months.
Can you imagine living in your home, minding your own business, and waiting every day for the knock at the door that turns your life upside down and deprives you of your liberty because you choose to live on your own land without public water and electricity?
Stop abdicating the personal responsibility for your own actions.
Truitt posted this powerful message on his Facebook page regarding his time in jail:
A Message from Tyler
Today is November 20, 2016. As many of you know, I spent the week before last in jail. The judge had ordered me to serve a 10 day sentence in addition to fines. This was in relation to the trial last year which has been under appeal for some months. The ultimate outcome of which we lost and I was ordered to serve the time. This concludes all pending legal action at the time, but what we expect to happen is for the city to come cite us again and start this process all over again. Im not sure exactly what theyre planning to do, but Im sure this wont be the end of it.
As for my experience in jail, there is one aspect of all this I briefly wanted to mention. Most of the jail and court, city, county etc. employees seem to be on our side. I had numerous guards tell me they thought our situation was messed up and apologize for what is happening to us. The deputy at the courthouse even said Hey, arent you that guy who was on TV living off grid? I cant believe they are doing this to you. Thats really messed up. As he proceeded to carry me out without a word of protest to anyone else. That seems to be the common sentiment, and what I want you to notice is the key word they. People always say they, as if that person, just doing their job, has nothing at all to do with this. Just a bunch of little cogs in a big machine all doing their little part with no control over their own actions.
The best thing about jail is that when you are in there, you know youre a prisoner, no questions about it. Complete with orange jumpsuit, metal bars, and bland, hastily prepared prison food. But what about the people on the outside? All those little cogs just doing a job with no control over their own actions? Going to a job they hate every day and doing exactly as they are told even when it irks their own moral conscience. I think this begs the question, Who is the real prisoner? And what kind of invisible walls inside our minds force us to act this way?
Many people are living like a prisoner, and yet still believing they are free. Because we have this grand illusion of freedom, a prison without walls, and so many choices (Should I go to Burger King or Taco Bell for lunch today?) we continue on touting how much freedom we all have, as we compliantly and unquestioningly carry out our orders. Because we have bills to pay and obligations that must be upheld. Obligations so pressing that we would do things which violate our own values and sense of self.
Now maybe some of you out there (especially law enforcement or military) are saying to yourself, Sure I have to do things at work which make me feel uncomfortable, but I would never do anything too bad. I could stop myself before I do anything seriously unethical or unspeakable. Possibly, but just where do you draw the line? Maybe for you that line isnt drawn at incarcerating someone just for living peacefully on their own property (like my situation). But where is it? Is it when you are told to mace protesters? Or lie to cover up the actions of other officers? Is it when youre asked to round up millions of Hispanic people for deportation? Or when you are ordered to force all Muslims into a concentration camp? Is it when you have to torture prisoners? Or is it when youre made to confiscate weapons from your fellow patriotic Americans? How about when they tell you to shoot anyone who offers the least bit of resistance?
The point is that every time youre forced to do something you feel is wrong without putting up the least bit of resistance, you only further train your mind to be compliant. Now is when its easy to say no. Do you think it will be any easier when people are rioting and there is chaos everywhere to make the right decision when you only have a moment to decide? Lets remember, all the people at the Nuremburg trials were just following orders too, and Im sure most of them never imagined themselves doing the types of things they did.
I guess what Im asking all of you to do is remember that the choice actually is yours. All those invisible walls only exist in our minds, but we can tear them down and see what real freedom feels like. Stop living like a slave or prisoner to some giant system. Instead of they, its we. Stop abdicating the personal responsibility for your own actions. If you can do that, then you will truly be free. We dont need to depend on some presidential savior, Trump, Bernie, Hillary, Obama, etc. to make America great again and make all our choices for us. America is the people, all of us. Only through our own actions, taking personal responsibility and making ourselves great, can each of us do our part to make America great.
So Joe chose not to obey the EPA rules, and since EPA rules have the force and effect of law, good old Joe made the choice to sit in solitary.
The EPA LIED!
Or did you conveniently ignore that fact?
Oh, that's right - in Gatlin Bizarro World, the government doesn't lie.
Robertson dug some holes on HIS OWN PROPERTY, and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for damaging wetlands
According to the USGS topo map (Mt. Thompson Quadrangle) the unnamed tributary to Cataract Creek is an intermittent headwater drainage channel. According to the NRCS Soil Survey, none of the ponds are underlain by hydric (wetland) soils, and according to the USFWS NWI maps, none of the ponds are located within federally mapped wetlands.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
The Defense had a opportunity to prove that to the jury .IT DID NOT.
Did you conveniently ignore that fact?
Citizens often run afoul of these [wetland] rules inadvertently due to the constant evolution of complex and unexplained regulations.
Conversely, citizens often intentionally choose to ignore these wetland rules and when they do .they suffer the consequences as set forth under the law.
Joe was given every chance to cease digging the ponds, he chose not to.
He knew he was violating the conditions of his probation .yet, he made the choice to do that.
A jury of his peers listened to all the evidence and then convicted him .he was sentenced to serve time.
That is the way the system works.
Basin Man Convicted of Clean Water Act Violations and Destruction of US Property
MISSOULA Following a four day federal trial, a Montana jury found Joseph David Robertson, 77, guilty on two counts of unauthorized discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States and one count of injury or depredation of United States property.
Robertson was indicted by a grand jury in May of 2015 as a result of illegal ponds he built on two parcels of land near Basin, Montana, one on Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest land and the other on adjacent private property. The ponds resulted in the discharge of dredged and fill material into a tributary stream and adjacent wetlands and caused widespread damage to both properties.
At trial, the government introduced evidence that in October of 2013, a United States Forest Service (USFS) Special Agent visited the National Forest property to determine whether Robertson had complied with previously issued conditions of probation for misdemeanor violations of USFS regulations. The Agent testified at trial that during the site visit, she observed multiple ponds dug into an existing stream on both USFS and adjacent private property.
During a subsequent site visit in November of 2013, Robertson admitted to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USFS Criminal Special Agents that he had performed the work on the National Forest property using an excavator. State and federal officials visited the site again in May of 2014, and observed that Robertson had done additional work. The site was now approximately 1.2 acres in size, and extended beyond the National Forest property to a private property that he did not own. The work consisted of nine ponds of varying sizes, including some as large as approximately 4900 square feet that were placed directly in the stream and wetlands area. Unconsolidated dredged material from the ponds had been used to create the berms and had been placed in and around the stream and wetlands. Robertson admitted that he had completed the additional work. Additional investigation revealed that Robertson continued to construct ponds on the USFS property after May of 2014, despite being told repeatedly that he had no legal right to do so.
One of the central legal issues at trial was whether the waters polluted by Robertson were waters of the United States for purposes of the Clean Water Act. The United States introduced evidence and expert testimony from the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA that the stream and wetlands had a significant nexus to traditional navigable waters, and therefore were waters of the United States. Fishery biologists from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the USFS testified that this headwater and wetland complex provided critical support to trout in downstream rivers and fisheries, including the Boulder and Jefferson Rivers.
This verdict sends a message that the United States will not stand by and allow streams and wetlands of the United States to be polluted, or National Forest lands to be injured, said United States Attorney for the District of Montana Mike Cotter. Clean and healthy waterways are a critical resource for all forms of life and are a Montana value. It is imperative that we protect this increasingly scarce resource. The collaborative efforts of multiple state and federal agencies in cases like this help ensure that individuals who seek to degrade it will be held accountable.
Rivers, streams and wetlands provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife which must be protected, and EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting these invaluable natural assets as well as the communities around them, said Jeffrey Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of EPAs criminal enforcement program in Montana. The defendants illegal activity took place not only on public land but also on private property he didnt own. Todays guilty verdict demonstrates that polluters will be held accountable for their actions."
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Whittaker and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Nelson from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This case was investigated by multiple state and federal agencies including the United States Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. Other agencies that assisted the investigation included Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Jefferson Valley Conservation District.
MELISSA HORNBEIN, Public Information Officer, (406) 457-5277 https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/basin-man-convicted-clean-water-act- violations-and-destruction-us-property
You never seem to know what you are talking about .and you never bother to research further after reading some yellow journalism article.
You to wise up .it was NOT HIS OWN PROPERTY.
The defendants illegal activity took place not only on public land but also on private property he didnt own. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/basin-man-convicted-clean-water-act- violations-and-destruction-us-property
The same Justice Department which sent Robertson, arguably an elderly old codger who liked picking small, school-yard types of fights with the federal government, had also investigated the BP oil spill. According to Reuters, A Justice Department probe into the spill led to criminal charges against just four, mostly lower-level BP employees. The other rig supervisor, Robert Kaluza, was acquitted in February by a jury of the same pollution charge as Vidrines.
Kaluza and Vidrine previously faced manslaughter charges, but those were dropped.Former BP Vice President David Rainey was acquitted by a jury last June of charges he lied to federal agents about how much oil was spilled. The fourth defendant, engineer Kurt Mix, was sentenced to six months of probation last November after pleading guilty to damaging a computer, a misdemeanor.
The result: no one spent one day in prison. Not one person, involved with historys largest oil spill, spent one day behind bars as a convict. But let a squatting gold miner dig a few ponds on what he considered to be his own property, and admittedly a little sliver of federal land, and the government showed no mercy. And he isnt fairing well in prison, reportedly. His wife told reporters hes been kept in solitary confinement, has suffered fainting spells, and is in overall poor health.
Ironically, the independent evaluation also found that Robertson may have actually done the federal government a favor by creating the ponds. They write: KE determined that the creation of Ponds #1, #2, and #3, which we understand are located on USFS lands, have actually enhanced the aquatic resources relative to the intermittent channel and adjacent wetlands.
From the KE report, one could conclude Robertson was within his rights to construct the ponds, they werent located in a wetland, and while he may have erred in building ponds on federal property, the environment is now better off as a result.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
This verdict sends a message that the United States will not stand by and allow streams and wetlands of the United States to be polluted, or National Forest lands to be injured, said United States Attorney for the District of Montana Mike Cotter. Clean and healthy waterways are a critical resource for all forms of life and are a Montana value. It is imperative that we protect this increasingly scarce resource. The collaborative efforts of multiple state and federal agencies in cases like this help ensure that individuals who seek to degrade it will be held accountable.
There is the MESSAGE....I repeated it since you have trouble getting it.
This verdict sends a message that the United States will not stand by and allow streams and wetlands of the United States to be polluted, or National Forest lands to be injured,
Furthermore, the report added, We understand that the pond excavation was accomplished using a Case 780 trackhoe with a 36-inch wide bucket and/or a 580 Case backhoe with a 24-inch wide bucket.
Any dredged material dripping from the bucket back into the water or wetland is considered an incidental fallback and therefore not subject to any requirement for a Section 404 permit (Tulloch Rule).
The firm found that Robertson did not need the federal permit required for the ponds construction because his equipment was not considered heavy-equipment and the dredged drippings would be inconsequential.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
Unfortunately, the jury didn't hear all of the facts.
Then put the bong down and appeal. Until then, he's a GUILTY criminal scumbag. You wouldn't have such a hard time defending the SHIT you post if you'd stop posting YELLA garbage.
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
Do you know why Joe is in solitary confinement? No? Then let me tell you. Joe sits in solitary confinement because he got into an altercation with his counselor and she had him assigned to the hole. He was fighting with her because she would not have all his mail marked legal so it would not be searched outside of his presence. She is the advocate for him and the last person he wants to fight with. The old codger just doesnt know when to give up .
Innocent people are imprisoned all the time you braying jackass.
Joe was not innocent....he ADMITTED to his crime.
He said he dug the ponds on government land and on privatge land that he did not own.
During a subsequent site visit in November of 2013, Robertson admitted to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USFS Criminal Special Agents that he had performed the work on the National Forest property using an excavator.
Innocent people are imprisoned all the time you braying jackass.
It's called life. It's not always fair, fun or safe.
MILLIONS of criminal assholes are found NOT GUILTY, yearly, because of the built in fail-safes of our court system. Miranda, rules of evidence... and so on. The system FAVORS the criminal. So, if some people (and it isn't nearly as many as your want to libtardly fear monger) fall through the cracks, that's LIFE. No system is perfect and 100% foolproof... and the American justice system is still way better than any other country.
If you're wrongly convicted, appeal... stfu.
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
MILLIONS of criminal assholes are found NOT GUILTY, yearly, because of the built in fail-safes of our court system. Miranda, rules of evidence... and so on.
It certainly appears that you are suggesting that we do away with constitutional protections for anyone charged with a crime simply because cops fuck up and don't follow the rules.
Attaboy!
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#120. To: Deckard, A KA A Stone, misterwhite, goldilucky, jeremiad, Roscoe, no gnu taxes, hondo68, GrandIsland (#119)
Court Officials Who Jailed a Veteran for Living Off-Grid
This entire article was presented in typical yellow journalism fashion in that it was never an enigma because there were no puzzling or inexplicable occurrences in the situation involving Tyler Truitt. The headline was worded in a explosive manner to grab attention and immediately solicit sympathy. The headline was a lie and the article was misleading from the very beginning. Truitt was never jailed for living off-grid. Furthermore, that Truitt was a veteran had absolutely noting to do with the problem he created for himself. The descriptive term, veteran, was used only to solicit sympathy. A person who had never served in the military or a draft-dodger and conscientious objector during the time of the military service draft, would have received the same sentence as Truitt for exactly the same reason.
A picture of Truitt is placed under a caption that reads: MAN BANNED FROM HIS OWN LAND FOR LIVING OFF-GRID. Again, that is an outright lie. Truitt was prohibited from occupying his trailer home because of deplorable unsanitary conditions following a health department inspection.
The whole article then turns into a fluff piece omitting facts.
Living off-the grid is permitted within the city Huntsville. There are ways Truitt could have done it. Truitt however took the stand that he would not comply with an ordinance that is unconstitutional to begin with .and chose to do it his way. For Truitt to live in his off-grid in his trailer, he needed first to apply for a variant in the zoning law to allow his trailer to be parked in the space not zoned for trailers. The next process was a simple one. If he wanted to go green by living off-grid, he should have gone to the Community Development Office to check out the building code for off-grid living .it is absolutely permitted within the city limits of Huntsville. Truitt refused to do that since he said he will not comply with an ordinance(s) that is unconstitutional to begin with. He said his trailer is no danger to anyone else and that the building codes he's accused of violating are unjust.
The idea of living off the grid can often be a source of controversy. Zoning and land use laws sometimes forbid individuals from using their own property as they see fit. On one hand, its said that these laws are necessary to ensure uniform property upkeep, and to keep neighborhoods clean, safe and prevent public health hazards.
There was a public park across the road from Truitts property where he improperly disposed on the composted contents of his toiler and there was also a neighbor next door.
On the other hand, some argue that these regulations infringe upon the rights of land owners to do as they wish, especially if their actions harm no one.
Tyler set up solar panels for electricity, and began collecting and filtering rainwater for household use. He even composted his own waste. His electrical and water system were not in compliance with the safety codes and the waste he was composting included the waste from his own toilet. The city said that Tylers solar, water, and composting system violate building and health ordinances.
The Mayor of Huntsvilles position:
There is nothing illegal about living off the grid, provided interested citizens go through proper channels. We encourage green environmental living, and our departments stand ready and willing to guide citizens through the appropriate permitting process. The City has worked with Mr. Truitt on his desire for an alternative living environment and explained how to work through the permitting process to bring his property up to code.
The first citation for Truitt was on March 27, 2015 for failing to meet zoning requirements trailers are not allowed in the city limits unless they are located in a trailer park. Zoning Administration informed Truitt that he could apply to the Board of Zoning adjustment for a possible variance. He chose instead to go to municipal court and was found guilty of the violation on May 20, 2015. He appealed and has lost in court.
A second citation was issued May 12, 2015 by our Community Development Department for owning an unsafe structure (multiple code issues regarding safety, sanitation, sewer, utilities - Code #7-357 through 7-388. (https://www.municode.com/library/al/huntsville/codes/code_of_ordinances). The city worked with Truitt for nine months and ultimately issued the two citations when he showed "no willingness to comply with city codes or regulations."
Tyler lost his court case and has already lost an appeal .an appellate court upheld the ruling that he has 14 days to remove his trailer from the land. However, he insists he will stand his ground, and will not be prevented from living off the grid on the land he owns. Truitt's home was condemned last year by the city, saying that his sanitation systems were in violation of a state health code .mainly, one would could rightly suspect, from composting his toilet. The methodology for Truitt was there for Truitt to live off the grid. However, he said he had rather fight the ordinance in court. He did that .and he lost.
The purpose behind the zoning requirements is public health and safety. It is not to generate funds through permits the cost is only about $11. The permitting process ensures that occupants of a residential dwelling have safe, potable, running water, and electricity, particularly in the wintertime. These are public safety regulations, regardless of how perceived by one members of the public. The City has posted Truitts trailer as "Unsafe" for this reason. The absence of a connection to a sanitary sewer system (whether a septic system or sanitary sewer outfall line connected, ultimately, to a treatment facility, is not only a health and safety issue for the occupants, it's a health and safety issue for others who may live nearby. There are both benefits to be obtained, and compromises to be made, when people choose to live in an urban community.
The ordinances are there for a good reason, they are not there just to fight with Truitt. There have been many problems in the past with landlords who have taken advantage of poor tenants by refusing to ensure the availability of such basic utility services - people who have lived in houses or apartments with no running water, no heat, no electricity, no proper connection to sanitary sewer facilities. The regulatory tool to force these landlords to bring their properties up to code so that their tenants can be assured of having the basic services required for survival - services most of us all take for granted.
In summation, Truitt was ordered to leave and given until June 1 to bring the trailer up to code where he still could have complete off-grid living .only through healthy and safe methods. Truitt refused to do that and stated he does not intend to .he considers staying put an act of "civil disobedience" while he fights the city's claims.
The building code violations in Truitt's case would not be a problem in rural Madison County. But in the city of Huntsville .it just doesn't fly.
I honor Truitts military service and his desire to be self-sufficient. But he chose, for whatever unknown reason, to select the wrong place and the wrong way to accomplish that when it would have been best had he looked for un-zoned land in the county where he could live off-grid hassle-free .exactly the way he wants to do within the city limits of Huntsville, and cannot.
There was a public park across the road from Truitts property where he improperly disposed on the composted contents of his toiler and there was also a neighbor next door.
You can't dump your accumulated shit and piss in the public park across the street? Tyranny!