Arr, be witness to this seaworthy tale! A landlubber from Vermont, dared to show his true colors, cursin' a trooper with a hearty flick of his finger. 'Twas called 'freedom o' expression', if ye can believe it!
2023-12-20
Arr! Behold, a sight to amuse yer weary eyes! A video o' a Vermont State Trooper nabbin' a scallywag fer disorderly conduct, after a fierce quarrel left the scurvy dog givin' him a rude gesture whilst bein' pulled o'er in St. Albans.
During the stop, Bombard repeatedly reminded Riggen that pulling him over for flipping him off would have been unconstitutional, even if the gesture had been made. Riggen responded by stating that although it may be freedom of expression, it was so unusual that it required intervention. The stop concluded after Bombard suggested he would file a complaint, but as he pulled away, he actually did give the finger and cursed at Riggen. Riggen then pulled Bombard over again and arrested him for disorderly conduct. Bombard was handcuffed, searched, and taken to jail, and his car was towed because he had stopped in a "No Parking" zone when ordered to stop there.
The charges against Bombard were later dropped, but he filed a lawsuit in 2021 against Riggen and the state of Vermont for violating his First Amendment and Vermont constitutional rights. FIRE and the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont are supporting Bombard's case and are asking the court to recognize that his First Amendment rights were violated. They argue that the incident highlights the need to prevent unnecessary and unjustified police interactions during traffic stops.