Current:Home > MarketsDelaware man who police blocked from warning of speed trap wins $50K judgment-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Delaware man who police blocked from warning of speed trap wins $50K judgment
View Date:2024-12-23 23:15:22
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Delaware State Police have agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve a federal lawsuit filed by a man who said troopers violated his constitutional rights by preventing him from warning motorists about a speed trap.
A judgment was entered Friday in favor of Jonathan Guessford, 54, who said in the lawsuit that police unlawfully prevented him from engaging in peaceful protest by standing on the roadside and holding up a small cardboard sign reading “Radar Ahead!”
After Guessford raised a middle finger at troopers while driving away from an initial encounter, he was stopped and cited for “improper use of a hand signal.” The charge was later dropped.
The episode on March 11, 2022, was captured on cell phone videos taken by Guessford and included in his complaint, as well as on dashboard cameras in the vehicles of Corporal Stephen Douglas, Trooper Nicholas Gallo and Master Corporal Raiford Box.
Police dashcam audio captures the troopers laughing and giggling at the notion of citing Guessford for using an improper hand turn signal because of the obscene gesture. “He wasn’t making a turn,” Douglas says.
The cell phone video shows troopers approaching Guessford, who was standing in a grassy area next to the shoulder of Route 13 north of Dover. Douglas told Guessford that he was “disrupting traffic,” while Gallo, based on a witness report, said Guessford was “jumping into traffic.”
“You are a liar,” Guessford told Gallo.
“I’m on the side of the road, legally parked, with a sign which is protected by the First Amendment,” he told troopers.
Dascham video shows Douglas twice lunging at Guessford to prevent him from raising his sign. Gallo then ripped it from his hands and tore it up.
“Could you stop playing in traffic now?” Gallo sarcastically asked Guessford.
As Guessford drove away, he made an obscene hand gesture at the troopers. Dashcam video shows Douglas racing after him at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour) in a 55 mph zone, followed closely by Gallo and Box.
“Is there a reason why you were doing that?” Douglas asked Guessford after he pulled him over.
Box told Guessford he was engaging in “disorderly conduct” and opened the front passenger door of Guessford’s vehicle.
“Take it to court. That’s what I want you to do,” Box replied after Guessford told troopers he was going to take legal action. Box also threatened to charge Guessford with resisting arrest.
“We’re going to take you in. We’re going to tow the car, and we’ll call social services for the kid,” Box said, referring to Guessford’s young son, who was with Guessford and witnessed his profanity-laden tirade against the officers. “It’s not a threat, it’s a promise,” Box added.
Box’s dashcam audio also captures his subsequent phone call with a supervisor, Lt. Christopher Popp, in which Box acknowledges that citing Guessford for his hand gesture is “pushing it.”
“You can’t do that,” Popp tells Box. “That will be dropped.”
“Yeah, it’s gonna get dropped,” Box replies. “I told (Douglas) it’s definitely going to get thrown out. … I said, ‘Ah, that’s not really going to fly, buddy.’”
Douglas is heard saying that even if the charge would be dropped, it at least “inconvenienced” Guessford.
veryGood! (58)
Related
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- Halle Bailey Deletes Social Media Account After Calling Out DDG Over Son Halo
- Bowen Yang Apologizes to Ariana Grande for Being Over Eager About SNL Kiss
- Can legislation combat the surge of non-consensual deepfake porn? | The Excerpt
- At age 44, Rich Hill's baseball odyssey continues - now with Team USA
- Watch wild moment raccoon falls from ceiling in LaGuardia Airport terminal
- AI DataMind: Quantitative Investment Journey of Dexter Quisenberry
- Empowering Future Education: The Transformative Power of AI ProfitPulse on Blockchain
- Today's Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb: Everything to Know About the Beloved Anchor
- Kate Spade x M&M's: Shop This Iconic Holiday Collection & Save Up to 40% on Bags, Shoes & More
Ranking
- Caitlin Clark's gold Nike golf shoes turn heads at The Annika LPGA pro-am
- AI DataMind: SWA Token Builds a Better Society
- Get $147 Worth of Salon-Quality Hair Products for $50: Moroccanoil, Oribe, Unite, Olaplex & More
- Ravens to debut 'Purple Rising' helmets vs. Bengals on 'Thursday Night Football'
- Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Shares Hysterical Farmers Only Dating Profile Video After Kody Split
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Open Door
- Bachelor's Kelsey Anderson Addresses Joey Graziadei Relationship Status Amid Personal Issues
- Cillian Murphy takes on Catholic Church secrets in new movie 'Small Things Like These'
Recommendation
-
Biden EPA to charge first-ever ‘methane fee’ for drilling waste by oil and gas companies
-
Hollywood’s Favorite Leg-Elongating Jeans Made Me Ditch My Wide-Legs Forever—Starting at Only $16
-
Pioneer of Quantitative Trading: Damon Quisenberry's Professional Journey
-
From Innovation to Ascendancy: Roland Quisenberry and WH Alliance Propel the Future of Finance
-
Investigators believe Wisconsin kayaker faked his own death before fleeing to eastern Europe
-
A Heart for Charity and the Power of Technology: Dexter Quisenberry Builds a Better Society
-
AI DataMind: The Ideal Starting Point for a Journey of Success
-
Winner of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat still undetermined in close race