Anyone else catch this...pretty heartless http://news.aol.com/topnews/article...h/20070504085809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001 AMPA, Fla. (May 3) - A sheriff's deputy was suspended for manhandling a sobbing woman who was speeding to a hospital to see her ailing father and didn't want to wait for him to write a ticket. Deputy Kevin Stabins received a five-day suspension for using excessive force. Jump Below: Watch the Arrest Talk About It: Post Thoughts After Deputy Kevin Stabins stopped Melissa Langston a second time in the hospital parking lot, video from his cruiser's dashboard shows him yanking her from her car and slamming her against it. "Please let me see my dad, " she cries as he handcuffs her. "If it was your dad ..." Stabins cuts her off, saying, "Now you're not going to see him, 'cause you're going to jail." Stabins, 29, was suspended for five days without pay for using excessive force. Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee signed off on the suspension Tuesday, and Stabins will begin serving it on May 22. Charges against Langston, 37, were dropped. Watch the Arrest "I think (Stabins) understands that he was wrong and could have handled it better," Gee told The Tampa Tribune for Thursday's editions. "On both sides, really, it could have been done better." Stabins first stopped Langston after clocking her driving 63 mph in a 35-mph zone near University Community Hospital in November. The video shows her telling the deputy that her father had suffered a heart attack and had driven himself to the emergency room. Stabins returned to his car to write a ticket, but after several minutes, she drove into the hospital parking lot. After a short pursuit, she brakes, and he strides up to her, saying, "That was not smart." "I need to get there. I'm sorry but -- oh, my god!" she says. Most Popular - Last 24 Hours Florida Deputy Suspended Over Rough ArrestRepublican Candidates Hold First DebateQueen Elizabeth II Tours U.S.Frog Juice in High Demand in PeruJudge Sues Cleaner for $65 Million Over PantsAs he tries to pull her out of the car, her foot slips off the brake and the car begins to roll forward. "Put it in park. Put it in park. Get out of the car. Hands behind your back. Now you're going to jail," Stabins says. He gets Langston out of the car, put her in an arm lock that left bruises, spun her around, and slammed her against her car's hood hard enough her feet leave the ground. Her father, William Johnston, stayed in the hospital six days, his wife, Mary Johnston, told the St. Petersburg Times for Thursday's editions. He went home with two stents in his arteries.
The Fox 26 little commercial promo for this story last night ended with: "All the cops cared about was the law". It made me laugh.
I didn't see that in the arcticle. But even if he did all she would have heard from the hospital or family is that he had a heart attack. I think any one of us in that situation would have been speeding and a bit crazy.
this reminds me of my trip to IAH Bush this morning. as they are searching bags and letting people go through a metal detector, they ask this elderly woman (most likely over 60) to step aside. they start doing a thorough search on her, asking her to lift her arms, pull up her pants at the ankles. basically, just like any cop would do before they put you in the car. the whole time i could tell she was embarrassed, as was i just watching it. i know we shouldn't profile, but for some reason, the way they handled the situation just didn't seem right. you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but it was freakin' old lady.
From the article: Both people acted inappropriately. The officer should have had her continue to the hospital at the legal speed and then written up her ticket and given it to her after she arrived. The woman should have stayed where she was when she was pulled over and taken the ticket and then continued on to the hospital. No lawsuit should come out of this. That's fine until an old lady blows up a plane, then everyone says, "Of course they used an old lady, security always let them pass." You eithr profile or you don't, and each has its strengths and weaknesses.
she doesnt deserve a ticket, my cousin was once speeding in a california freeway because my grandpa was dying, the cop let her go
That pig is a ****ing douchebag and I hope he loses his job and is forced to spend his life savings to pay fines.
I don't think you get to speed just because a loved one is in the hospital. She shouldn't have gone that fast but the cop was a jerk.
not to take this into D&D but i wish the US would employ the same security measures that the Israel International airport does.
The woman should have been obeying the law. She put innocent people at risk by driving double the speed limit. This is selfish thinking. How much time can you really save when you actually try to go past the speed limit? Maybe 2-3 minutes tops if you are going a distance of 5-7 miles.
It must be a pretty open road to go that fast in a 35 mph zone. I think the cop made a huge mistake and took it too far. Edit: After watching the video clip, it looks like she was very close to the hospital. That cop could have easily followed her to the hospital, let her get situated, and then write her the ticket. Also... are the cops allowed to pull a person out of the car like that??
