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Love hurts: Man arrested for releasing helium balloon with his girlfriend
South Florida Sun-Sentinel ^ | February 22, 2013 | Erika Pesantes

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 ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: baxter; brasfield; environment; law
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To: ConservativeStatement

This reminds me of my husband’s littering citation. For years the game department was gunning for him, granted he had some crazy friends but he never broke the rules.

His friends had gone up before him and put a note in a wine bottle by a gate telling where camp was, since others were still to come my husband read the note and put it back. Yep, he got littering ticket. He paid that one, it was 10 bucks.

Then there was a time when we were fishing and didn’t think anything of the date, well the old license ended on Sat and the new one began on Sun, we just brought our new licenses though we had old ones, yep, he got a ticket, the magistrate in that county was furious and it was dismissed.

Then there was the time when the same guy went to their camp when only the children were there and made them allow him to search the whole camp. He decided the beard on the turky they had killed was too short and cited my husband and the guy who had shot the turkey but not the rich guy who was with them. He confiscated their guns and it was a good thing they were in the rich guy’s vehicle.

They went to court, the judge dismissed the charges and told the ranger to give them back their guns, I don’t remember what my husband said but it even made the judge laugh and the ranger was about to explode, he finally decided to leave my husband alone.


21 posted on 02/28/2013 6:52:21 AM PST by tiki
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To: ConservativeStatement

Every frog in the pot is going to be made a felon if they dare to jump out, so might as well lose your virginity and jump.


22 posted on 02/28/2013 6:54:22 AM PST by fattigermaster (Train for life in prison because they are stacking the bricks and setting the bars around you.)
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To: Sirius Lee

99 Red Balloons!


23 posted on 02/28/2013 6:57:30 AM PST by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: fattigermaster

Shiny Badge Derangement Syndrome


24 posted on 02/28/2013 7:01:42 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Uncle Miltie
Releasing the balloons was understandable; without pictures, we shouldn't pass judgment on his release of the girlfriend.
25 posted on 02/28/2013 7:03:04 AM PST by Mr. Lucky
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To: coloradan
Not only will he lose his rights of self defense, but from now on, he will be reviled by many here at FR & other conservative sites forever, denied employment, & probably destined for a life of welfare poverty.

Welcome to the police state, where any act is a felony, & those convicted are just one level above slaves.

No doubt, with a string of these types of arrests under his belt, the officer will be Policeman of the Year. But hey, he is bound to enforce ALL of the laws, & felonious balloon releasers are far less likely to pull a gun when confronted, although he may have to shoot the family dog.

26 posted on 02/28/2013 7:04:55 AM PST by Mister Da (The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)
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To: massgopguy
99 Red Balloons!

Exactly. They could have started WW III!
27 posted on 02/28/2013 7:09:12 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("C'est la vie" say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell. -- Chuck Berry)
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To: ConservativeStatement

He needs to take this to court and demand the prosecutor produce the evidence. I’m pretty sure the balloons went quite far and were not recovered.


28 posted on 02/28/2013 7:09:21 AM PST by rfreedom4u (I have a copy of the Constitution! And I'm not afraid to use it!)
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To: ConservativeStatement

Yet another load of horse sh*t from yet another over-zealous cop.

Don’t these morons have anything valuable to do with their time?


29 posted on 02/28/2013 7:18:02 AM PST by Jack Hammer
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To: Jack Hammer; ConservativeStatement

No they have nothing better to do. It is easier and safer to harass normal citizens that it is to take on real criminals. It is no longer to protect and serve it is now harass and collect revenue.


30 posted on 02/28/2013 7:39:27 AM PST by Ratman83
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To: rfreedom4u

He needs to take this to court and demand the prosecutor produce the evidence.
***

I thought the same thing. Another question: If you throw some litter from one state and it lands in another, where does the littering occur?


31 posted on 02/28/2013 7:58:17 AM PST by NCLaw441
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To: Jack Hammer

The cop wasn’t over-zealous but following the law. It’s against the law to release balloons in many states. Even against the law in Texas. Sure, it’s a ridiculous law but a law none the less.


32 posted on 02/28/2013 8:03:26 AM PST by bgill
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To: NCLaw441
If you throw some litter from one state and it lands in another, where does the littering occur?

Interstate trafficking? Dude, you're going to spend some quality time in Club Fed.

33 posted on 02/28/2013 8:11:22 AM PST by Pan_Yan
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To: jmcenanly
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 very close to Ft Lauderdale airport. But, yes, this shouldn't be a felony. One possible scenario is the cop intended to give a warning, but the balloon releaser decided to mouth off.

34 posted on 02/28/2013 8:20:39 AM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Uncle Miltie

Yeah, I was picturing him sending her up in some kind of home made blimp, until I got to the details of the story. Glad to see I was not the only one confused by how that was worded.


35 posted on 02/28/2013 8:35:34 AM PST by Springfield Reformer (Winston Churchill: No Peace Till Victory!)
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To: ConservativeStatement

Good thing Nena doesn’t live in Dania.


36 posted on 02/28/2013 8:39:44 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Dr. Sivana

Everyone’s a Captain Kirk.


37 posted on 02/28/2013 8:42:02 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: ConservativeStatement

This will not be tolerated! Laws banning balloons must be drawn up now!


38 posted on 02/28/2013 8:47:12 AM PST by jch10 (Hey GOP! Only Conservatives get my vote.)
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To: ConservativeStatement
This is a case of laws written to cover possible unintended catastrophic damage caused by seemingly innocent actions. Metallic mylar is conductive, and causes all kind of havoc when entagled in power grid components. Read more here
39 posted on 02/28/2013 10:43:09 AM PST by Rebel_Ace (Tags?!? Tags?!? We don' neeeed no stinkin' Tags!)
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To: bgill

A great many things are “against the law” these days - it’s up to cops to prioritize their time and efforts and not to enforce stupidity.

And this was egregious stupidity.

I stand by my post.


40 posted on 02/28/2013 9:24:14 PM PST by Jack Hammer
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