Holy law and order and justice served, Batman!
SARASOTA -- John Coffin won't spend any more time in jail for beating up two sheriff's deputies inside his house, striking one in the head with a Taser gun he took from the other.
Circuit Judge Rick De Furia said at Coffin's trial Tuesday that he doesn't condone the violence against the deputies.
But Coffin, 56, had a right to defend his family and property because the deputies had no right to be in Coffin's house in the first place, De Furia said.
I saw this on Friday, but didn't get a chance to post it until today because I have been busy all weekend. I know this doesn't apply outside of any part of Florida, but damn, what a ruling. A judge actually ruled that "color of law" does not "color away the lines of the law." Contrast this with another state normally associated with rugged individualism.
There is much to like here, and it's the sort of thing that should be pushed for in every state. The ability of private citizens to use force in self-defense against law enforcement officers who are breaking the law is a powerful incentive for law enforcement officers to obey the law. It's really not that hard, when you think about it. These things are generally not so vague that there is any excuse for crying "Wild West!" If an officer shows up at your door with no warrant, and tries this sort of crap, it's pretty obvious that they are breaking the law. A few good knots on their heads would teach them respect for the law.
Maybe the judge doesn't "condone" violence against the deputies but he should condone violence against men who break and enter into a private home.
Hehehe, I think the judges views are pretty obvious here. They can be summarized as, "I don't condone what you did, but you had a right to do it because they broke the law." Good enough for me, having a judge actually rule that the law applies to the police in a case like this.
Ah, an encouraging story for once, Mike.
Good.
Wow! I thought judges like that were non-existent by now. Glad to see the ruling, and even more heartened by the fact that (for once) something good like this happened in my state. I just wish the cops in question realized they had done wrong, instead of whining about Coffin getting punished for hurting them.