DUI Checkpoint Video Goes Viral, Constitutional Concerns Raised


A 4th of July DUI checkpoint stop in Rutherford County, Tennessee spawned a viral video and prompted Constitutionality claims. Chris Kalbaugh, 21, was reportedly sober when he was stopped along the roadway during a target enforcement project on America’s birthday.

The viral video from the 4th of July DUI Checkpoint shows Tennessee Deputy A.J. Ross speaking through a lowered car window with Chris Kalbaugh. The driver refused to crack the vehicle window further when directed to do so because he felt that communication with the law enforcement officer was both already clear and freely flowing.

Deputy A.J. Ross asked Chris Kalbaugh his age and then walked away without waiting for a response, according to the video footage. When the officer monitoring the driver at the 4th of July DUI checkpoint returned, Kalbaugh was instructed to pull his car over to the roadside. Discussions between the two men included a debate about Constitutional rights and Kalbaugh’s knowledge of the law. The 21-year-old driver told the deputy that he had complied with the sobriety checkpoint law by stopping, but should not have been detained and searched.

The vehicle search was enacted after a K-9 unit was taken around Kalbaugh’s vehicle and allegedly alerted officers to a scent of drugs. No illegal drugs were found after the search of the car. The Tennessee man’s questions about why he is being detained appear to go unanswered.

Chris Kalbaugh has this to say when detailing his experience at the 4th of July DUI checkpoint:

“After he keeps using intimidation to get me to do what he wants, all the officers surround my vehicle like I’m a criminal. All this because my window was not lowered enough to his preference. I broke no laws whatsoever. On a day that we are supposed to be celebrating freedom and liberty.”

Kalbaugh went on to state that he has the Constitutional freedom to travel without being randomly stopped by law enforcement officers and questioned. Do you think target enforcement like the 4th of July DUI checkpoint violate the Constitution by presuming guilt and forcing Americans to prove their innocence?

[Image Via: Shutterstock.com]

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