Shire activist Ryan Maddox was arrested on Friday, February 3rd, 2012. His alleged crimes? Theft, disorderly conduct, and placing others in danger. Then when arrested, he was charged with another “crime,” resisting his own kidnapping. Listen to him describe the incident which started it all…
(*Note* The date on this video mistakenly shows 1.04.2012 when it should actually read 1.14.2012, which is the day after the incident occurred.)
Ryan will NOT be taking a plea deal for the outrageous charges that followed this incident:
To learn his charges, continue reading…
In the words of the state agents who arrested him, Ryan did “purposely exercise unauthorized
control over the property of another, to wit, a $4.00 parking fee, which was owed to the Manchester-Boston regional Airport with the purpose to deprive the owner thereof, AGAINST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THE STATE.”
This is a Class B Misdemeanor, which means it is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
The charges continue:
The agents claim Ryan “recklessly created a risk thereof, by disrupting the orderly conduct of the business, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, by refusing to pay his fee and block traffic, AGAINST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THE STATE.”
This is a Class A Misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to a year in jail AND a $1,000 fine. This second charge seems to contradict the first. If he was being a thief, then he wouldn’t block up traffic; he would escape. This charge seems to suggest that he was having a conversation with the toll collector, as he states in his video testimony. This language is flowery and severely written by an agent who was not present at the scene of the alleged “crimes.”
The charges continue…
A 3rd charge, another Class A Misdemeanor, “Placing others in Danger” “The defendant did recklessly engage in conduct, by quickly accelerating his vehicle forward and backwards, causing the tires to spin, while in a confined area where people and other vehicles were located, which placed, or may have placed, the public in danger of serious bodily injury, AGAINST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THE STATE.”
This seems highly unlikely to me, seeing as I know Ryan and spend a great deal of time with him. I know him to be a peaceful person who is level-headed and calm as a buddha. There’s no way he went on a crazy spin-out like some hot-headed redneck.
To add insult to injury, agents of the state charged Ryan with a 4th crime, “Resisting Arrest.” In the words of the state agents, “the defendant did knowingly physically interfere with a person he recognized to be a law enforcement officer, to wit Police Officer Kevin M Mulcahy of the Keene Police Department, by clasping his hands in front of his chest and twisting his body in an effort to resist being handcuffed, while said officer was seeking to arrest Ryan Maddox, AGAINST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THE STATE.”
I can’t be sure of the intention of any particular law, but do you the reader think that the intention of the “Resisting Arrest” charge was for actions like those described above? Call me crazy, but that sounds like a pretty typical arrest to me. What law enforcement officer doesn’t expect the people they come after to struggle? Are free people supposed to just freeze and stick out their wrists whenever a man in uniform comes by? I would imagine that if the people who wrote the “Resisting Arrest” law had any good intentions whatsoever, it was to give justice to those law enforcement officers who had been beaten and seriously injured as a result of them carrying out the course of their duties (arresting people). Someone “clasping his hands” and “twisting” should be easily overcome by any officer, especially when the person being apprehended is Ryan, who is a pretty small guy.
Why is Ryan coming forward to the public with all of this information about his case? Because he hasn’t done anything wrong, he hasn’t hurt anyone, and if anyone is committing wrongdoing, it is the agents of the state! So… will he be taking a plea deal? No way in Hades!
