(ConservativeJournal.org) – A Vermont resident was recently awarded a major payout after challenging the legitimacy of his arrest after an irate cop pulled him over and harassed him after suggesting the man flipped him off. Greg Bombard, 51, was simply driving back to his home after getting coffee when he was pulled over by Sgt. Jay Riggen of the Vermont State Police.
The dashcam footage revealed that the officer asked Bombard if he needed something and elaborated on how he believed that the man had flipped him off moments ago.
Bombard denied flipping off the cop, and suggested he was merely stretching his hand and flexing his fingers. He then demonstrated the motion to Riggen. Riggen didn’t seem to care and continued to insist Bombard had flipped him off. Bombard joked that Riggen was “really sensitive” if all this was over a hand-motion.
The pair then got into an argument with Riggen suggesting his concern was genuine and he pulled him over to check if Bombard was “all right.”
Naturally a little frustrated, Bombard informed Riggen he’d be filing an official complaint regarding the stop and insinuations.
Then, while driving off, Bombard actually flipped Riggen off, shouting that the state trooper was an “assh__” and “f___ you!” Riggen then told the camera he was wearing that he was going to bust Bombard for disorderly conduct which he then proceeded to do. A year later, the charges were dropped.
Bombard sued the state and settled out of court to the tune of $175,000. His attorney announced the win in a press release, saying that free societies are measured by how individual citizens are allowed to express themselves to government representatives and authorities.
It’s been widely accepted that legally, citizens have the right to flip off police, record them in public (as long as they don’t interfere with their policing), and that cops can’t arrest you for being critical or observing them. That won’t stop them from trying, however.
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