Posted on 09/27/2007 9:22:43 AM PDT by lady lawyer
The oldest person I ever arrested when I was a cop was probably in his 80s. I stopped Bill one afternoon on suspicion of driving under the influence.
When I asked Bill for his driver license, he picked blearily through his wallet, then handed me a Polaroid of his genitals.
I told Bill to get out of the car. Realizing his mistake - and that I was now going to want to know who he really was - Bill tried to drive away instead. An incident ensued during which Bill got a small ding in the head.
Passers-by didn't see that Bill was drunk, that he had given me a picture of his doodle or that he tried to drag me onto the highway while I leaned in the window and grabbed his keys. All they saw was a mean cop roughing up somebody's grandpa.
Fortunately, celebrity attorney and legal showboat Gloria Allred didn't find out about that. Orem Officer James Flygare isn't so lucky. Allred came to town last week to save kindly Grandma Betty Perry from Flygare and the forces of darkness.
In July, Perry allegedly became disorderly and interfered with Flygare as he attempted to issue her a citation for deliberately violating the city's landscaping ordinances. She was arrested and taken to jail.
The arrest of an elderly woman for simply failing to water her lawn horrified everyone, including Orem City, which immediately rolled onto its back and tinkled a public apology into the air.
At a press conference after Perry's appearance in court Tuesday, Allred held aloft a set of 19th-century leg irons and asked how many Orem residents would "like to have your great-grandmother taken from her home with bruises and blood, and placed in handcuffs for failing to water her lawn?"
That's one way of asking it. Another way would be to say, "How many of you would like to see a cranky old woman get what she's had coming for a long time?"
It's a fair question. With even a little digging, Perry no more resembles the average lilac-scented grandmother than a real pirate resembles Captain Morgan.
Perry wasn't arrested for failing to water her lawn. She was only going to get a ticket for that. She got arrested because she deliberately pushed it to the next level and wouldn't let Flygare write the ticket.
I suppose it's possible Jim screwed up. He's been through a lot. In 2002 he was wounded by a burglary suspect, whom he then shot and killed. He also shot it out fatally with a bank robber in 2005.
Maybe he's decided to cut back and just beat up old ladies.
But I'm betting the problem is more a matter of perception. What the public doesn't see is that Perry has long history of confrontational behavior with Orem City, her neighbors, clerks and anyone else who gets in her way.
Thanks to the media, Allred and even Orem City, the public sees Perry as a nice old lady who can't afford to water her lawn, or is too infirm or maybe just forgets. Orem City gets nasty e-mail from all over the world from people who think they know what happened.
The truth is that Perry lives comfortably enough on a retirement plan. She has an older Mercedes in her driveway, and an RV that she drives to Florida. She has a sprinkling system.
Although she can afford it, she asked to have her water shut off nearly a year ago. She just doesn't want to water her lawn, and she's said so to lots of people. Her lawn has been reseeded and had new sod put down by a local church. It was dead a month later. She became angry when someone trimmed the waist-high weeds in her backyard.
When Flygare tried to let her know about the law, she told him that she didn't care, she wasn't going to water her lawn, and moreover, she was leaving town. Then she refused to tell him who she was.
So she got arrested. It's fair. Why should age, gender or race make someone exempt from the law? If it did, you can be sure I'd use "old, fat and stupid" as a defense the next time the UHP stopped me for driving like a lunatic.
As the columns states:
"Although she can afford it, she asked to have her water shut off nearly a year ago. She just doesn't want to water her lawn, and she's said so to lots of people. Her lawn has been reseeded and had new sod put down by a local church. It was dead a month later. She became angry when someone trimmed the waist-high weeds in her backyard."
Additional facts about "Grandma Betty" that aren't reported. She has a 40-something son that lives with her part of the time, who won't do anything about the property, but could. She was such a pain and a bully at the bank where she had her money that they closed her account and refused to serve her anymore.
BTW, I couldn't help but wonder if old "Bill" described in the column is a Freeper. He seems to share the attitudes of some.
God made her. Let him judge her for having a screw loose.
Society is so impatient with the imperfect.
Indeed.
Sorry, Gloria Allred.
I know guys that have been beat cops for 20 years and never pulled their gun once.
No, I meant “Bill.” I was talking about some on this forum who automatically assume the cops are the bad guys.
You had a legitimate argument on the merits of the situation; and then you blew it with that.
It’s true. My dad was an LA cop for 20 years. He had to pull his gun, but he never had to fire it.
But then, I don’t think he ever had an armed burglar shoot at him, or confronted an armed bank robber. To both I say, “Good Riddance.”
Before you get all uppity,
the cite should have been mailed Certified, Return Receipt Requested. This was a civil matter, not a criminal one. One of the myriad little things that has caused loss of respect for the Cops and the real job they have is actions such as this, caused by political whores who think that the Public Servants are at their beck-and-call for any infraction they see.
I said “some.” If that doesn’t describe you, then you have no cause for consternation.
Nitpicking. He had a perfect right to be there at her door writing a ticket. She was the one who acted improperly.
Again, I’m glad that Orem has ordinances requiring people to keep up their property. If you want to keep your property looking like a slum, you should live outside the city limits where you don’t affect the property values of others.
Does Gloria Allred remind you of al sharpton?
They both are quite adept at conjuring, yes?
When the city begins to pay for the water, then the city can begin to require that I water my lawn. Otherwise they can just enjoy my beautiful beige yard.
If a person objects to watering their yard, they can put in landscaping that doesn’t require water. Maybe in your town, they have no landscaping standards. I’m glad they do where I live.
which immediately rolled onto its back and tinkled a public apology into the air.
That’s Pullitzer material right there!
Are you certain that the City of Orem didn't try that first?
‘But I’m betting the problem is more a matter of perception. What the public doesn’t see is that Perry has long history of confrontational behavior with Orem City, her neighbors, clerks and anyone else who gets in her way. ‘
No surprise too me at all. Its exceedingly rare a story doesn’t come out like this one did, and you DON’T learn later the ‘poor victim’ was in fact a pain in the ass to every single person in a given neighborhood.
The city doesn’t, but the HOA does. I’m glad you’re happy living where the government has the time and resources to control this particular sliver of life.
I understand if you may feel the need to defend such a comment to the death. A view from the cheap seats was all I was giving here.
the cite should have been mailed Certified, Return Receipt Requested. This was a civil matter, not a criminal one.Are you certain that the City of Orem didn't try that first?
I don't think so; he would have an arrest warrant for failing to either pay the ticket or appearing at court otherwise.
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