Earlier this year, on May 4, in Wisconsin, Napoleon Jones, a Navy veteran, was arrested for for filming a traffic stop from over 30 feet away. The arresting officer pulled him out of his car and tafter the deputy accused Jones of ‘suspicious behavior.’ On Jones’ side, even though recording the police in public is a U.S. Constitutional right.
Waukesha County sheriff’s deputy Brandon Shayhorn, also alleged that Jones did not have a front license plate, which he claimed was required under Wisconsin law. However, Jones was driving a new car and had his license plate on the back window, which is fully legal. Jones was aware of his rights and refused to comply with Shayhorn because he knew that the deputy was harassing him without cause.
Jones therefore refused to step out of the vehicle and also did not provide his identification. He then asked Shayhorn to call his supervisor, which he refused. Instead, with the help of Brett Kromrey, a second deputy, Jones was taken out of his car and then arrested on charges of obstructing and resisting.
View this post on Instagram
After he was taken into custody, Jones was ultimately let go five hours later, with no charges filed. Jones described the incident as harassment and on December 1, Jones filed a lawsuit against the deputies for violating his First, Fourth, and 14th Amendment rights or targeting him for recording, forcibly removing him from his car, and arresting him. Jones also accused the deputies of assault and battery.
The lawsuit, filed by Nathaniel Cade Jr., a Milwaukee attorney, states, “Plaintiff is a Navy veteran who suffers from diagnosed PTSD. He has had to seek psychiatric support and intervention because his PTSD was triggered by the encounter with Deputies Shayhorn and Kromrey.”
Talking to WTMJ-TV, Jones described the whole incident, saying that the deputies “pretty much were shoving me on the car and doing whatever they could to restrain my arms to force them behind my back.” However, when the case ultimately reached to the supervisor of both the deputies, Lt. Kent Krause, he talked to Lt. Kyle Haferman and reached the conclusion that Jones’ arrest should have never happened.
View this post on Instagram
The lawsuit includes a detailed account of the incident. According to the lawsuit, “Lt. Haferman began to review Shayhorn’s report and then asked me questions regarding it. Lt. Haferman advised that the traffic stop took place in a parking lot for a vehicle registration violation. Lt. Haferman and I called Shayhorn to inquire about the details regarding the stop and arrest. Shayhorn advised he was on a different traffic stop when he observed a male filming him from a parking lot.”
It also states, “Shayhorn advised the parking lot was to a strip mall of businesses but was open to the public. Shayhorn observed the vehicle had no front plate and a temporary plate that was illegible. Shayhorn stated he got behind the suspect vehicle, which then stopped prior to exiting from the parking lot, at which point he activated his emergency lights.”
The complaint then details the rest of the incident and concludes by stating “Shayhorn was advised that he did not have a lawful traffic stop thus, the suspect could not be compelled to produce his identification, and it was not a consensual encounter since he activated his emergency lights.”
The encounter shows that Jones asserted his rights, as he told WTMJ-TV, “I was extremely frustrated. I stood my ground because I wasn’t in the wrong, and I’m not shocked that it happened, but I’m disappointed that it did.” Jones standing up to the authorities ensured that they faced the consequences of their actions of harassing an innocent man.
