Posted on 02/28/2013 6:19:22 AM PST by ConservativeStatement
Anthony Brasfield saw romance when he released a dozen heart-shaped balloons into the sky over Dania Beach with his sweetie. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper saw a felony.
Brasfield, 40, and his girlfriend, Shaquina Baxter, were in the parking lot of the Motel 6 on Dania Beach Boulevard when he released the shiny red and silver mylar balloons and watched them float away Sunday morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
Felony?
Felony? Barred from gun ownership for life. Because of releasing mylar helium balloons. Yep, we’ve got to enforce the gun laws already on the books.
wtf?? environmental crime??
Brasfield was charged with polluting to harm humans, animals, plants, etc. under the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Act.
polluting to harm humans? don't you have to show the harm before charging someone with the act? doesn't there have to be actual harm?
“Man arrested for releasing helium balloon with his girlfriend”
Did she have a good flight?
That was the first thing I noted; felony charges for letting go of a set of balloons because it MIGHT impact some environmentally sensitive area. These are the thousand cuts that every day deny a citizen the right to bear arms. A law intended to prevent chemical dumping into the swamps is instead used to prosecute an innocent gesture.
My thoughts exactly.
I figgered he tied said girlfirend to a big ol’ helium balloon and....
Away they went.
Hello? I’ve been calling for balloon registration for years. Maybe now people will wake up to the dangers...
Not all, but many and a growing number of law enforcement agencies are becoming hyper-vigilant and treating law abiding citizens as suspects or terrorist.
This is nonsense and should never have happened. The FHP trooper should be reprimanded.
The increasing criminalization of all sorts of infractions (and increasing infringements on firearms and explosives) makes it much easier for the BATFE to follow you around until you commit a felony and then they can come and grab your guns.
For real, good thing they weren’t talking like Donald Duck when he walked up. They could have had a DUI charge slapped on them too.
“Man arrested for releasing helium balloon with his girlfriend”
Did she have a good flight?”
Did she put up a fight?
That will never see the inside of a court room.
I once released some helium balloons after a party and was later told I should not have done that as it was restricted airspace (general aviation airport just up the street).
I can see a problem if these Mylar balloons were released near an airport and messed up the radar, but when did littering become a felony?
This is a crime but threatening at a voting place was not? (Black Panthers)
Military-style assault balloons have no legitimate sporting purpose.
Another power hungry midget megalomaniac with a badge. This arrest should serve as disqualification to wear a badge. I doubt it though.
What about all the balloons released during sporting events? Football games in Florida, half time shows, the Daytona 500? How come all the promoters there were not arrested?
In California, even some misdemeanors get you barred for life. At least that's one of the latest gun control laws proposed by a few lawmakers in Sacramento.
And if you are charged with one of the prohibited misdemeanors, they confiscate all your previously purchased guns, even if they were purchased legally. IIRC, some of the misdemeanors mentioned were "a history of aggressive driving," littering and jaywalking (demonstrating a contempt of the law?).
It's a feeding frenzy. The b******s are falling all over each other, trying to outdo one another.
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